RIGHT REFORMS KEY

Editor:

Re: How to cut the crime rate: legalize drugs, B.C. Views, Opinions,
the Observer, Nov. 22.

There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket
legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance trials have 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 underway 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
from 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 remains in the hands
of organized crime, consumers of the most popular illicit drug will
continue to come into contact with sellers of hard drugs such as cocaine.

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 act as a gateway to hard drugs.

Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like
to think the children are more important than the message.

Robert Sharpe, Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.