HARM REDUCTION? OR HARM MAXIMIZATION?

Does moving drug houses from one Kamloops neighborhood to the next
constitute drug war victory?

Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains
constant only increase the profitability of trafficking. For
addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate
addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The
drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

The good news is that Canada has already adopted many of the
common-sense harm-reduction interventions first pioneered in Europe.
The bad news is that Canada's southern neighbour continues to use its
superpower status to export a dangerous moral crusade around the globe.

The United States provides tragic examples of anti-drug strategies
that are best avoided.

U.S. Center for Disease Control researchers estimate that 57 percent
of AIDS cases among women and 36 percent of overall AIDS cases in the
U.S. are linked to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject
drugs. This easily preventable public health crisis is a direct
result of zero tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes.

Canada cannot afford to emulate the harm-maximization drug policies
of the former land of the free and current record holder in citizens
incarcerated.

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC