U.S. DRUG WAR A BUST: EX-COP

Vancouver's Methods Praised But America's Programs Get Ripped

A former Seattle police chief yesterday condemned his country's war
on drugs and advocated wholesale decriminalization.

"Prohibition does not work now, never has worked, and never will
work," said Norman Stamper at Vancouver's Fraser Institute.

The 34- year veteran cop said the U.S. spends about $77 billion US a
year on an unwinnable drug war, while neglecting prevention,
education and treatment programs.

He praised programs such as Vancouver's safe heroine injection site,
saying addicts should be treated like others with diseases.

"I think it is cruel to deprive them of heroin, as cruel as it is to
deprive a diabetic of insulin," said Stamper, who favours a publicly
regulated system, similar to the controls placed on alcohol.

He pointed out that drugs are already easily accessible, and said
regulating them would take organized crime out of the picture.

As for marijuana, Stamper favours legalization.

He said smoking pot is relatively harmless, and should be a matter of
personal choice.

"I am not a marijuana smoker," he added.

B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal, who was in attendance, said Canada
should consider Stamper's ideas.

"We have to look at all the options," said Oppal.

"He's done a lot of research. What he says is something we have to
think about."

But he pointed out that provinces have no control over drug laws,
which are a federal jurisdiction.

And drug laws seem unlikely to change with a new Tory government
installed in Ottawa.

"We will not be reintroducing the Liberal government's marijuana
decriminalization legislation," Prime Minister Stephen Harper told an
April 3 meeting of the Canadian Professional Police Association.

The Liberal plan would have fined people for possession of small
amounts of pot, but they would not have received a criminal record.