LACK OF SUPPLY MEANS ABUNDANCE OF CRIME

Your April 24 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 antidrug strategies that are
best avoided.

U. S. Centers for Disease Control researchers estimate that 57% of
AIDS cases among women and 36% 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:
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/facts/idu.htm

Sincerely, Robert Sharpe, Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC