THE WAR ON DRUGS HAS FAILED

Your editorial suggests that the use of mind-altering substances is a
crime in itself. Consider the legal drugs: caffeine is a toxic
psychoactive substance available in coffee, tea, cola and chocolate.
Acute alcohol intoxication actually has a more profound effect on the
body than heroin and delirium tremens - from alcohol withdrawal - is
potentially more dangerous than heroin withdrawal.

If ingesting a mind-altering substance is a crime, than do you
advocate building more jails to hold anyone who ever had a hangover
and more juvenile detention centres for kids who drink too much of the
real thing? Of course not! It would make more sense to educate them
against substance abuse and offer treatment to those who victimize
themselves. In any event, personal drug use is a health issue and it's
nonsensical for us to use the justice system to punish unauthorized
drug use; people who abuse medicine need medical help.

The heroin maintenance program in Liverpool, Eng. is an excellent
example of how drug reform can benefit society by reducing crime,
disease and accidental overdose fatalities. Under medical supervision,
heroin addicts have better long-term health outcomes than alcoholics
and cigarette smokers.

I am not suggesting that drug use is harmless or that drugs should be
sold at corner stores. However, the current system is not working and
the best evidence of that is that the accidental overdose rate now
exceeds the murder rate.

I think government policy formed on the basis of harm reduction would
make Canada a safer, healthier country.

Robert Martin
Vancouver, B.C.