PROHIBITIONIST ATTITUDE CONTINUES IN DRUG WAR

Re: U.S. wants Canada to crack down on illegal drugs (SP, March 15).
As if heeding the beck and call of American drug warriors weren't
enough to turn the stomach, now an odd report is released on drug
production in Canada.

I have always thought it strange that American drug war zealots would
cry bloody murder about marijuana coming from Canada, when more than
90 per cent of the imports come from Mexico, and about half of the
total consumed is produced right in the U.S.

Perhaps the most revealing part of this article was that the Canadian
Border Services Agency had seized 1.66 metric tons of cocaine at
ports of entry. Though this would seem like a victory for law
enforcement, in reality it's a complete failure.

While thousands of marijuana plants are cut down, millions of doses
of MDMA seized and tons of cocaine taken off the streets, where are
the results?

When Pablo Escobar was killed in South America, drug warriors
rejoiced and claimed that America would see a dramatic slump in
heroin sales. In fact, the opposite came to pass. No matter how often
police seize drugs or shut down labs, the Escobar case shows there's
always someone else willing to risk the legal sanctions in order to
make a quick buck.

Prohibition in the 1920s ensured that no standard existed for the
production of harmful but oft-enjoyed alcohol. Fortunately we
realized the folly of leaving it to unsupervised and unaccountable
members of society and began to regulate alcohol sales and production
so that people weren't dying from drinking bathtub gin.

We seem to be suffering from a collective memory loss when it comes
to other drugs.

Ethan Erkiletian

Saskatoon