UNWINNABLE WAR

"The war on drugs."

It's a powerful phrase. A righteous political platform. A cliche blow for
good against evil.

It's also a monumental crock--the largest waste of taxpayer's money
undertaken by North American governments in the 20th century and into new
millennium.

Like the alcohol Prohibition in the 1920s, the war on drugs was lost before
it began.

Now, finally, some politicians are mustering up the courage to acknowledge
drug criminalization is not working, and that alternatives must be
considered.

Mind you, this change of heart is not yet exactly what you'd call a 180
degree policy reversal, but it's encouraging.

Last week, 24 Canadian Alliance MPs were polled on the question of
legalization of street drugs. Eleven didn't answer. The remainder offered
responses ranging from full decriminalization to legalizing only medical use
of marijuana.

Surrey MP Chuck Cadman, for instance, said he'd support decriminalization of
possession of small amounts of pot, but would not favour legalization of any
street drugs.

Obviously, the political correctness of fighting illicit drug use and
trafficking via the criminal justice is still a very powerful force in
Canada.

And yet, it remains a hopeless task.

Untold billions of dollars have been spent in this country, and hundreds of
billions more in the United States, on drug law enforcement. The result has
been a steady increase in drug use and the creation of vastly wealthy and
powerful crime organizations, built on the profits of illegal drug sales.

More cocaine and heroin is being shipped into the U.S. than ever before.
After 84 years of fiercely enforced drug prohibition, there are and
estimated five million hardcore drug users in America.

Canada has been no more successful in stemming the tide of illegal drugs
pouring into the country, nor in reducing drug consumption by punishing
users.

At the same time, drug-related crimes such as break-and-enters, thefts and
robberies have reached epidemic proportions as addicts resort to more
criminal activity to afford drug prices kept high by anti-drug enforcement.

By contrast, countries such as Holland and Germany, which a decade ago
declared their own war on drugs had failed abysmally, have experienced
dramatic drops in drug-related crimes by adopting "harm reduction" drug
policies.

Instead of treating drug users as criminals, drug addiction is considered a
medical problem. Emphasis is placed on treatment, social support and skills
training.

We have a long way to go in this country before such an approach is
accepted, primarily because many people still can't accept the concept of
government-tolerated or even sponsored drug use.

But the reality is that the present system involves government-tolerated
misery, on the part of addicts and those they impact, i.e. crime victims:
and the creation of the drug trafficking criminal elements which flourishes
precisely because of the government laws meant to eradicate them.

As for the strong public perception that consumption who increase if street
drugs were legalized, experience proves otherwise in Europe, where drug use
actually dropped significantly in cities which adopted harm-reduction
policies.

One day, North American governments will muster up the courage to admit
there is a better way.

Until then, the unwinnable war will continue grinding up lives, families,
resources and public money.