SEARCH SHOWS LOSS OF RIGHTS AT STAKE

Re: Dog Search Sends Signal

I hope Alberta schools have better success with the police state
approach to public health problems like drugs than the U.S.
Drug-sniffing dogs and random drug testing in schools have led to a
loss of civil liberties in America, while failing miserably at
preventing drug use. The drug war is in large part a war on
marijuana, by far the most popular illicit drug. The University of
Michigan's Monitoring the Future survey reports that lifetime use of
marijuana is higher in the U.S. than any European country, yet the
U.S. is one of the few Western countries that uses its criminal
justice system to punish citizens who prefer marijuana to martinis.

Despite clear evidence that punitive laws fail to deter use, the
former land of the free and current record holder in citizens
incarcerated continues to uses its superpower status to export a
dangerous moral crusade around the globe. The short-term health
effects of marijuana are inconsequential compared to the long-term
effects of criminal records. Unfortunately, marijuana represents the
counterculture to many North Americans. In subsidizing the prejudices
of culture warriors, government is subsidizing organized crime. Canada
should follow the lead of Europe and Just Say No to the American
Inquisition.

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.