WAR ON DRUGS FUELS CRIME, SAYS EXPERT

Dear Editor:

Your April 2 editorial made the common mistake of confusing
drug-related crime with prohibition-related crime. Attempts to limit
the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only
increase the profitability of drug 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 Canada's southern neighbor 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. Centers for Disease Control researchers estimate that 57 per
cent 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 preventable public health crisis is a direct
result of zero tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes.
Can Canada afford to emulate the harm maximization approach of the
former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated?

U.S. Centers for Disease Control stats: www.cdc.gov

Sincerely,

Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy
www.csdp.org Washington, DC