DON'T EMULATE THE U.S. APPROACH

Tom Fletcher makes the common mistake of confusing drug-related
crime with prohibition-related crime in his column (The News, Oct. 9).

Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains
constant has been shown to only increase the profitability of drug
trafficking.

For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads
desperate addicts to increase their criminal activity to feed
desperate habits.

The drug war doesn't fight crime. In fact, what it does is it fuels crime.

The good news is Canada has already adopted many of the common sense
harm reduction interventions first pioneered in Europe.

The bad news is Canada's southern neighbor continues to use its
superpower status to export a dangerous moral crusade around the globe.

The United States provides tragic examples of anti-drug strategies
that are best avoided.

For instance, researchers at the U.S. Center for Disease Control
estimate that 57 per cent of AIDS cases among women and 36 per cent
of overall AIDS cases in the United States are directly linked to
injection drug use or with having sex with partners who inject drugs.

This easily preventable public health crisis is a direct result of
zero tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes.

Can Canada afford to emulate the harm maximization approach of the
former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated?

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC