Short Cuts: Cut Demand for Meth

The Provinces: Excerpts from editorials that appeared this week in CanWest
newspapers across the land.

A NEW APPROACH

Victoria Times Colonist:

British Columbia has unveiled a new strategy to combat the use of
methamphetamine. Abuse of this drug is not yet a major concern, but
the number of users is growing, in part because it is cheap and easy
to produce.

Many users believe, incorrectly, that the drug is safer than crack
cocaine or heroin. The government's strategy is to bring the true
facts in front of potential users, in hope that dispelling illusions
will scare them away.

Given how easy it is to manufacture the drug, perhaps a strategy based
on dampening demand rather than halting supply is the only realistic
option. Yet trying to alter the mindsets of addicts who turn to
methamphetamine as an escape from heroin or cocaine may be an exercise
in futility. After several decades of the "war on drugs," we need a
fundamental re-think of our strategy.