MIDDLE GROUND BETWEEN DRUG PROHIBITION AND BLANKET LEGALIZATION

To The Editor:

Regarding Isabella Jancourtz's thoughtful May 22 guest column
("Ending the losing 'War on Drugs'), there is a middle ground between
drug prohibition and blanket legalization.

Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce
disease, death and crime among chronic users. Providing addicts with
standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many of the
problems associated with heroin use.

Heroin maintenance pilot projects are under way in Canada, Germany,
Spain and the Netherlands. If expanded, prescription heroin
maintenance would deprive organized crime of a core client base. This
would render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare future
generations addiction.

Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, only without
the ubiquitous advertising. Separating the hard and soft drug markets
is critical. As long as marijuana distribution is controlled by
organized crime, consumers of the most popular illicit drug will
continue to come into contact with sellers of addictive drugs like
cocaine and heroin.

Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal alcohol, it makes
no sense to waste scarce resources on failed policies that finance
organized crime and facilitate hard drug use. Drug policy reform may
send the wrong message to children, but I like to think the children
are more important than the message.

To learn more about Canada's heroin maintenance research please visit
"www.naomistudy.ca"

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy