U. N. AGENCY BACKS A FAILED APPROACH ON DRUG ABUSE

The war on drugs has millions of casualties and few victories; we have
to do what we think is best for our communities

The International Narcotics Control Board oversees international
agreements on what is colloquially known as the war on drugs.

By the board's reckoning, the agreements are part of a campaign that
has been waged for 80 years, although the most important convention
was first signed a little more than 40 years ago.

In its annual report released in Vienna this week, the United Nations
agency levels a broadside that may explain a lot about why the war on
drugs has been waged for so long with millions of casualties but not
many victories.

The board takes aim at Canada for three initiatives it says are either
not in compliance with agreements we have signed or are not helpful to
the war effort.

The board argues that Vancouver's safe injection site, which opened
last September in the Downtown Eastside, violates the fundamental
principle that illicit drugs only be used for "medical or scientific
purposes."

The board also takes issue with the proposed changes to the federal
marijuana laws, which it claims will "contribute to the mistaken
perception that cannabis is a harmless substance."

Finally, the board is opposed to the medical use of marijuana until
its efficacy as a treatment can be proven.

Canada is not singled out for criticism. Safe injection sites in
Germany and other countries are also criticized as being in violation
of the international treaties.

Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell, a former coroner who has seen too many
casualties of the war on drugs, dismissed the UN study as merely an
arm of United States drug policy.

We won't go that far, since it has wide international representation
and it is financed by the UN.

But it is clear the board is backing a failed approach to drug abuse
that still looks at the problem as primarily an issue of crime and
punishment.

In its annual report, the board travels around the world, continent by
continent, detailing what it sees as advances and setbacks in the war
on drugs.

On the whole, the report is primarily a dreary compendium of
failure.

In the U.S., a country that has put more energy than most into trying
to punish drug abusers and their suppliers, the latest indicators for
cocaine and heroin abuse do not show any signs of easing off.

In Vancouver, we know the cost of the failure. We know we have to find
new ways to curb this age-old blight.

That's why The Sun has supported the four-pillar approach undertaken
by the city, which includes harm reduction measures such as the
safe-injection site.

The International Narcotics Control Board says it does not in
principle oppose harm reduction programs, but it refuses to recognize
the safe-injection site, which is clearly saving lives, as a
legitimate and legal approach.

How are we to deal with such criticism?

First, the international drug trade is still based on supply and
demand. While there are examples of areas of the world where supply
chains have been successfully attacked and curtailed, the drug problem
will remain with us as long as there is a demand.

So while we have to continue to vigorously prosecute suppliers, the
greatest benefit to our health as a community will come through
curbing the demand for drugs.

Second, it is important to note again that the convention on drugs was
first signed in 1961 and it was last updated 15 years ago.

Eventually, we have to ask whether the international conventions
controlling narcotics and psychotropic substances are having the
desired effect. But any change in those treaties will be years in the
making.

In the meantime, let's have the courage of our convictions and do what
we think is best for our communities across the country.