UTOPIA BEYOND REACH -- BUT WE CAN DO BETTER

No "realistic alternative" to the criminal prohibition of illicit
drugs? We have been quite successful at reducing tobacco use through
education, regulation, taxation, prevention and treatment. Roughly
twice as many Canadian teenagers smoked cannabis last year than smoked
tobacco and, just like American teens, they consistently report that
cannabis is easier to obtain than tobacco.

If the goal of drug policy is to discourage use, as opposed to
creating a drug-free utopia, then clearly there are realistic and far
more cost-effective alternatives to criminal prohibition.

Matthew M. Elrod

Victoria, British Columbia