JUNK SCIENCE

Two reports released this week on Canada's drug strategy underscore
the pointlessness of Ottawa's promise to get tough on drugs.

A poll of nearly 3,000 Canadians, published Tuesday, has shown that
two-thirds of us would like to see greater emphasis on treatment and
prevention. This comes just a day after the B.C. Centre for
Excellence in HIV/AIDS, an agency funded partly by the province,
concluded that close to three-quarters of federal funding intended to
combat the drug problem goes toward enforcement. The Conservatives
recently promised to increase that commitment.

In essence, we have a public that is beginning to realize that our
current approach doesn't work, and a government that staunchly
refuses to acknowledge that fact.

Studies of harm-reduction programs such as Vancouver's Insite have
shown positive results, with more addicts seeking treatment and fewer
sharing needles. On the other hand, decades of sustained law
enforcement, both here and south of the border, have only seen the
drug problem grow worse at an ever-increasing financial cost.

In the face of current and historical evidence - did we learn nothing
from the failure of Prohibition? - the Conservatives insist a
crackdown is the answer. The drug barons who profit from such
decisions must already be calculating their markups.

Perhaps a government that prides itself on being results-oriented
should begin to pay some attention to results.