CANADA'S DRUG LAWS IMMORAL

Escalating gang violence in Winnipeg is claiming more lives and police
are not even putting a dent into the problem.

Police and policy makers need to wake up to the reality of what is
driving gang crime and deal with those causes.

Anthony Orville Woodhouse, 30, originally of Fairford First Nation but
called Winnipeg home. He was the latest victim. Most believe he was
not connected to gang activity, but was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Woodhouse was found dead lying on the porch of his home. His
assailants were high-level members of the Indian Posse (IP) street
gang and face charges. Much of the recent violence has been attributed
to violent rivalries between the Indian Posse and other gangs that are
turning the North End into a war zone.

Turf Wars

Winnipeg police spokeswoman Jackie Chaput said she believes once key
decision-makers from the gangs are arrested, it will lead to a decline
in gang criminal activity.

I hope Chaput is correct, but I believe police activity will only
temporarily hold off these turf wars. After the lull in activity, more
gang crimes will continue and other innocent law-abiding victims will
be brutalized.

The 2009 annual report on the state of organized crime in Canada
states unequivocally that the illicit drug trade is the most
profitable activity for Canadian gangs, including groups like the
Indian Posse. About 750 gangs in Canada focus on prohibited drugs like
marijuana and ecstasy and turn our country into a leading exporter of
those substances.

It is politically incorrect but accurate to say drug prohibition laws
contribute to the profitability of crime. For someone growing up in
the North End, engaging in drug solicitation is a "get-rich-quick"
scheme out there.

The problem is always that no matter how many gang leaders or
decision-makers you take out, one will emerge to take his place. The
simple reason is that demand will always exist for drugs and because
they are illegal, they are highly profitable.

In other words, we have to remove the high profit that comes from this
drug trade. The most logical answer is to move towards drug
decriminalization or legalization.

Before people assume I am in favour of drugs, I will say I am
personally opposed to most drugs and believe the effects to be
damaging for individuals and families. However, I believe enforcing
drug prohibition is immoral and an improper allocation of resources.

Michael Chettleburgh, one of Canada's foremost authorities on youth
gangs, says the first step in the fight against gangs is to starve
these organizations of their oxygen supply, which is the illegal drug
trade.

While decriminalization or legalization will not stop gangs entirely
as they will shift to other illegal activities, such as auto theft and
fraud, removing the profits associated with illegal drugs will
substantially reduce the gains associated with engaging in this
activity. While not eliminating these organizations, it will seriously
reduce their resources.

We can then focus on prevention and treating addiction while
preventing the killings on our streets.