CANADA CAN'T AFFORD TO FOLLOW US DRUG LEAD

Dear Editor:

Dan Singleton makes the common mistake of confusing drug-related
crime with prohibition-related crime in his July 14 column (p. 4
Didsbury Review). 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 neighbour 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 percent
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?

Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, DC