DRUG PROHIBITION IS NOT THE ANSWER

Dear Editor,

Regarding editorial "Community needs to help youth be addiction
aware" of November 20, 2009.

If communities need to help youth be "addiction aware" it can only be
because after 86 years of drug policy dysfunction it is now
abundantly clear that prohibition is never going to safeguard youth
or the community at large. That's because Parliament still hasn't
collectively amassed either the aptitude, fortitude, level of
sophistication, or the integrity to craft a viable drug policy
package for Canadians; Canada's "medical marijuana" program is a
prime example of that.

It's also apparent that the provinces are more than willing to go
along with the feds on this and even though rationalizing addiction
without considering the impact imposed upon the individual, the
family and the community in an environment lorded over by organized
crime merely normalizes dysfunction and dependencies, it's still
business as usual. This is not good regardless of the level of
intervention on the streets.

Considering past policies of the Government of Saskatchewan have not
reflected well on Canada one would think that the province would be
reluctant to present anything concerning addiction without regarding
it in relation to prohibition itself. Not so. Addictions Awareness
carries on without any apparent consideration of the impacts imposed
upon the individual, the family and the community in a environment
already made toxic by government intervention.

When stakeholders (and concerned others) would rather patronize,
present lies, scare tactics, sentimentalities or innuendo (posed) as
"messages" about addiction, aside from indulging in their own
advantage and agenda, they're authenticating the denial of that which
pertains to the actual costs of drug prohibition and those who profit
from it, what does that say about those who purport to be there for the youth?

Wayne Phillips

Hamilton, Ontario