BACK CHAT

A story on the arrest in Chilliwack of an Abbotsford man with a
sophisticated hidden compartment in his pickup truck's gas tank used
to smuggle drugs had readers discussing the war on drugs, legalization
and the state of Canada's justice system. Join the conversation at:
theprovince. com/opinion

The Province

Europe's prototypes

Strong scientific evidence points to the effectiveness of alternative
regulatory models established in Portugal, the Netherlands and
Switzerland to counter the disastrous consequences of illicit drug use
and drug policies.

Decriminalizing drugs works

The Cato Institute, a respected U.S. think tank, has released a report
on alternative drug policies. Several years ago, Portugal parted ways
with the U.S. and decriminalized all drugs so that resources could
focus on prevention and treatment of drug use. The report shows
Portugal's policies have dramatically reduced HIV rates. In addition,
Portugal now has the lowest rates of marijuana use in the European
Union, with experts suggesting the health focus has taken some of the
glamour out of illegal drugs.

Drugs ruin lives

I have seen first hand the negative effects of drugs (even weed and
alcohol) on family and friends, and think the war on drugs should be
stepped up, not down.

Riding a horse is riskier

David Nutt, a former chairman of the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse
of Drugs, stated in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in January 2009
that ecstasy use compared favour-ably with horse riding in terms of
risk, with ecstasy leading to around 30 deaths a year in the U.K.
compared to about 10 from horse riding, and "acute harm to person"
occurring in approximately 1 in 10,000 episodes of ecstasy use
compared to about 1 in 350 episodes of horse riding. Nutt noted the
lack of a balanced risk assessment in public discussions of MDMA.

Legalization not a solution

Wow. I am surprised that everyone isn't saying that the police are
wasting their time and we should legalize ecstasy and tax it, just
like marijuana. Because you know how everyone says if we legalize
marijuana it will stop the gangs.

Organized criminals will just move on to to something else.
Legalization is not the answer!

Punishment doesn't fit

Let me see. If I drink a glass of wine with dinner and drive, I face
punitive action by the police. If I traffic in narcotics, I am
released and get to pay my fine with the money raised from my illegal
activities.

Only available in Canada! Gotta love it!

Canada too lenient

Sixty-four kilos of MDMA in the U.S. would get you locked up until
trial with no bail and end up getting you a 30-year jail sentence.
Here in Canada this guy will probably never do a day in jail and get a
conditional sentence.

Don't get mad, you voted for these politicians.