PM'S DRUG STRATEGY TAKES AIM AT REAL VILLAINS OF THE TRADE

Critics who derided the anti-drug strategy of Prime Minister Stephen
Harper's Conservative government -- both before and after it was
announced last week -- either wilfully or blindly missed its central thrust.

And that is the promise of tough legislation mandating minimum jail
terms for the real villains of the illicit drug trade: the parasites
who produce and traffic in substances such as crystal meth and crack cocaine.

The message that society will no longer tolerate the pedlars of these
toxic poisons is long overdue.

As The Province documented in a widely praised series three years
ago, the devastating impact of crystal meth on young people in B.C.
has brought unimaginable pain and tragedy to many families in the province.

Yet, until now, the potential profits from operating illegal meth
labs have far outweighed the possible legal consequences.

The threat of substantial prison sentences should be an effective
deterrent against these cynical enemies of the social order.

It should also be emphasized that Harper's plan directs twice as much
money -- $42.2 million -- to treatment and prevention of drug
addiction as it does to enforcement -- $21.6 million.

What he is proposing is not some empty echo of the U.S. war on drugs
- -- it is a compassionate policy that strikes the right balance
between preventing the spread of drugs and offering a helping hand to
those victims of addiction who wish to escape from their miserable plight.