DRUG DEBATE NEEDED

Re: Anti-gang legislation.

The Harper government's proposed anti-gang legislation may very well
lead to a national debate among Canadians that the so-called war on
drugs, at an outrageous social and economic cost, will simply not
reduce the use of illicit drugs and crime in our society.

The law of unintended consequences may very well come into play, to
the great disappointment of those in the criminal justice system,
politicians, policy makers, and citizens who preach and practise that
prohibition is the "cure" to the lucrative drug trade. Needless to
say, this is a debate those individuals would not want or welcome.
But in the interest of effective and sound public policy, they should
- -- Canada badly needs this debate.

The question is hardly ever asked, how many Canadians use illicit
drugs? It is important to put this whole issue into proper
perspective. According to a very reliable source, at most, 4% of the
population use them and less than 2% of the population has a problem
stemming from a hard drug like cocaine or heroin. Hardly a scourge or epidemic.

Considering these low numbers, should not the priorities be
treatment, rehabilitation, demand-reduction programs, etc. History,
going back to the 1920s and 1930s, clearly reveals that prohibition,
and its unintended consequences, simply does not work and has never worked.

EMILE THERIEN

OTTAWA

(Prohibition makes people try to get away with it.)