CANADIANS SAY NO TO 'JUST SAY NO'

A New Poll Suggests Ottawa's Anti-Drug Plan Should Focus on Treatment
and Prevention.

Just say no to "just say no."

An Angus Reid Strategies poll released yesterday shows Canadians back
some of the federal government's $64-million anti-drug strategy, but
they say the plan needs to stress more than enforcement, treatment and
prevention.

Three-quarters of Canadians support mandatory prison sentences for
serious narcotics offences and 84 per cent favour plans to create
anti-drug campaigns aimed at children.

But more than half of Canadians want the federal government to leave
harm-reduction programs, such as needle exchanges and safe-injection
sites, intact.

Vancouver's safe-injection site has been given an extension until next
June, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said he opposes these kind
of programs.

Dr. Louis Gliksman, acting vice-president of research at Toronto's
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, said safe-injection sites have
proven successful in Europe.

"The jury is out in Canada. I think we need more research," Gliksman
said, noting needle exchanges are working well here.

"You don't find as many needles lying around."

He said needle exchanges also improve the health of addicts and put
them in contact with treatment programs.

While opponents may feel harm-reduction programs are an "endorsement
of a drug lifestyle," Gliksman said "just say no" strategies, as
coined by former first lady Nancy Reagan, are ineffective and
unrealistic.

"I haven't seen any study that suggest the 'say no to drugs'
(strategy) in the U.S. had any impact. It's a great slogan, many
millions of dollars were spent, but I haven't seen any results."

The federal strategy is silent on alcohol and prescription drug
addiction, he said.

The poll also found more than half of Canadians support the
legalization of marijuana.

The founder of Cannabis As Living Medicine, a Toronto-based club which
provides medical marijuana to 2,000 people, half with HIV, said
previous polls have shown 89 per cent of Canadians back legalizing
marijuana to help patients with cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis
and a host of other conditions.

"It's a done deal," said Neev, who only gave his first name.