DOUBTS RAISED ABOUT WAR ON DRUGS

The war on drugs isn't working and needs to be reconsidered, says
Delta Police Board member Ken Thornicroft, who thinks Canadian
lawmakers needs to consider treating addicts as a medical, not a
criminal problem.

Thornicroft raised the issue at a recent Delta Police Board meeting,
saying he personally has come to doubt the value of criminalizing
addictive drugs like heroin and crystal meth.

"Part of the problem in my mind is that it's illegal," Thornicroft
said, suggesting such drugs should be dealt with as a medical problem
more than a law enforcement issue.

The law professor's comments came during a discussion about treatment
options available to addicts.

Responding a South Delta Leader query following the meeting,
Thornicroft said the war on "category III" drugs like heroin and
crystal meth may even be contributing to the crime rate.

"...have we as a society, at least in part, created the need for some
of this criminal behaviours by our resolute and steadfast refusal to
accept that these addicts are in need of medical intervention rather
than criminal discussions?"

Thornicroft said it is time to consider a different approach, similar
to that employed in some European countries like the Netherlands and
Spain, where people can register as addicts to obtain legal drug
supplies without having to commit crimes to feed their habits.

"...it now seems overwhelmingly obvious that criminal sanctions have
not proved to be an effective tool to battle addiction," Thornicroft
said.

"I favour a more medically driven solution--one that combines drug
provision with medical supervision and treatment."

He said such a program would reduce the need for addicts to commit
crimes and "will perhaps allow such persons a better chance of
returning to good health an productive membership in our society."

If experts in addiction endorse such a program, Thornicroft said it
ought to be implemented "at least on an experimental basis, so that we
can see if this a route that might usefully be followed on a larger
scale."

Thornicroft stressed he was expressing his individual opinion and not
speaking for the Police Board as a whole.