ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE IS TOOL OF POWER ELITE

It is difficult to have a sensible drug policy in Canada when the most
powerful country in the world supports the drug trade and then lies about
it. Three illustrations will suffice.

First, the Central Intelligence Agency has a long career in drug dealing.

The agency was embarrassed when the bank that was laundering its money in
Sydney, Australia, and its private airline for flying drugs were exposed.
There was less concern when the world realized the CIA routinely helped
dictators to get their cut of the drug profits. This was seen as necessary
to keep these ruthless leaders co-operating with American business and
squelching left-wing activities.

If a dictator didn't co-operate, such as Noriega from Panama, charging him
with drug dealing was logical. Deceitful perhaps, but who cares when you are
dealing with dictators?

Thus, when former CIA director, George Bush became vice-president and was
given the task of "co-ordinating" drug enforcement, one could be assured
that the drug business would thrive.

Secondly, the tobacco companies like this setup. The most smuggled product
in the world is tobacco (not heroin, marijuana, or other banned substances).
Tobacco companies have been known to establish smuggling routes. Naturally,
they swear this is not true, just as they swore before Congress that they
did not know that tobacco was addicting.

One tobacco company in Canada has vastly increased its production to keep
those Canadians wintering in Florida happy. The fact that most of those
cigarettes don't get smoked in Florida, but get smuggled back into Canada,
isn't their fault.

Since the smuggling routes for tobacco are well established, isn't there
room for a little heroin and cocaine? Conclusion: Tobacco companies support
the illegal drug trade.

Thirdly, financial institutions find it profitable to launder the huge sums
of money from the drug trade.

Like the Swiss bankers who were oblivious to the funds stolen by the Nazis
from the Jews, or the presidents of tobacco companies who denied that
cigarettes could cause cancer, bankers were completely unaware that all that
money could possibly come from illegal sources. Selective inattention is
well developed among those in leadership positions.

When a politician calls for a "war on drugs" he/she is either stupid or
dishonest. You choose. Clearly, enough powerful people are benefiting from
the current drug policy that it will be hard to develop intelligent
alternatives.

The primary damage arising from the drug trade is not from the drugs
themselves. Heroin and cocaine do less damage than tobacco and alcohol, but
that is another debate. Smokers are not criminalized. Harassed perhaps, but
they remain accepted members of society.

I am not arguing for outright legalization of all drugs but we should be
aware that it is the criminalization of drugs that produces the following
problems:

1) Great wealth is provided for the very vicious criminals. They must be
willing to murder, bribe, and exploit the young. The police will protect
their interests by eliminating competition from minor players in the drug
business. This enables the big dealers to expend into other businesses with
offers that are hard to refuse (such as a broken kneecap).

Waste disposal can be a profitable business if your ethics permit the
pouring of contaminants into sewers or putting them into fuel oil to be sold
to hospitals and schools. Then the smoke will spread the toxic materials
over the surrounding area.

2) Drugs corrupt the police. As one police chief told researchers at a major
criminology conference, it is not a matter of "if" but "when" police
officers will be bribed by drug dealers. In larger police forces, drug
traffickers can start with all sorts of minor help, such as information etc.
The slippery slope to corruption has been well greased.

3) Very young juveniles are used to carry drugs and money. Because they are
carrying valuables, they are inclined to carry guns. You know the result.

4) Unwise behavior and risk-taking on the part of young people is
criminalized. Most of us would agree that experimenting with many of these
substances, including tobacco and alcohol, is risky. But young people who
survive their adventures with smoking, partying vandalism on Halloween,
bungee-jumping etc. become reasonable adults who delight in telling stories
about their youthful adventures.

Those involved with illegal drugs, which are not inherently worse than legal
ones, face severe risks to their life chances because of societal responses.
(Have you heard parents say they were only drinking booze, not smoking
marijuana?) Criminalizing reckless behavior has not prevented it, but it has
increased the social damage.

What to do? Harm-reduction strategies show some promise, but the first step
is to recognize the hypocrisy and dishonesty that drive drug policies in
North America.

Jim Hackler is adjunct professor of sociology at the University of Victoria.
The author of "Crime and Canadian Public Policy", he is currently doing
research on small court systems in Western Canada.

Checked-by: Don Beck