DRUG STRATEGY TO HELP ADDICTS, JAIL PUSHERS

N.S. Justice Minister Supports Program

The federal government will introduce legislation this fall that would
require mandatory minimum jail sentences for people convicted of
"serious" drug crimes, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said yesterday.

"Currently there are no minimum prison sentences for producing and
trafficking dangerous drugs like methamphetamines and cocaine," Harper
told a news conference. "But these are serious crimes; those who
commit them should do serious time."

But in launching the government's long-awaited, $63.8 million national
anti-drug strategy in Winnipeg, Harper also promised to be
compassionate toward people hooked on illegal drugs. In particular,
the prime minister said he is concerned about rising drug use among
youth. He also noted that drug use takes an expensive toll on the
health care system and fuels crime.

"Narcotics destroy lives. They rob young people of their futures, they
tear families apart, they make our streets less safe and they lay
waste to our communities."

Harper said the government's response will be two-pronged, focusing on
drug addicts on one hand and on drug producers and dealers on the other.

'Dangerous and Destructive'

"Drugs are dangerous and destructive. If drugs do get hold of you,
there will be help to get you off them," Harper promised. "But if you
sell or produce drugs, you will pay with prison time."

"Our two-track approach will be tough on the dealers and producers of
drugs and compassionate for their victims."

He underlined that tough new anti-drug laws will be a major component
of the government's plan, but confirmed that two-thirds of the funding
will go toward the prevention and treatment of illicit drug use. The
plan also includes a major national public awareness campaign aimed at
youth and their parents.

"Interdiction by itself is not going to be enough," said Harper,
flanked by Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and Health Minister
Tony Clement. "Our government recognizes that we also have to find new
ways to prevent people from becoming enslaved to drugs and we need new
laws to free them from drugs when they get hooked."

Other details unveiled by Harper about the plan included funding for
the provinces and territories for drug abuse programs, modernizing
treatment services and making them more widely available, financial
support for youth intervention programs, more money for police
agencies to investigate and prosecute drug crimes, ramping up the
RCMP's drug unit programs, and increased funding for the Canada Border
Services Agency.

Some details of the plan were in the last federal budget, including a
breakdown of the overall funding to distribute about $10 million to
prevention initiatives, $32 million for treatment for drug addicts,
and $22 million to crack down on production and dealers.

"Solving Canada's drug problem will require a huge effort. We won't
get clean overnight but we will put our country on the road to
recovery," said Harper.

Nova Scotia Justice Minister Murray Scott said he supports the federal
crackdown on all illegal drugs.

"We have to send a strong message to our youth in this province that
the government doesn't support the use of drugs," Scott said. "Some
can say those are minor offenses. I believe they really impact on a
young person's life but they also lead to the use of other, harder
drugs."

The Nova Scotia government's alcohol sales have been rising in recent
years. Scott said the province is working to promote responsible
drinking. He said there is a difference between legal drugs like
alcohol and illegal drugs like marijuana.

"Society has determined over the years what's accepted and what's
not," he said.

Even before it was made public, the government's plan drew darts and
laurels from all sides of the drug debate. Liberal and New Democratic
Party critics said the government is embracing a U.S.-style "war on
drugs" that treats drug abuse as more of a criminal matter than a
health issue. Liberal MP Keith Martin, a physician, and NDP MP Libby
Davies both said in interviews earlier this week that the government
should focus more on harm-reduction programs, such as safe injection
sites and needle exchanges.

The Vancouver safe injection site, Insite, was in danger of closing
after its exemption from federal drug laws was scheduled to end at the
end of this year. This week, however, the government gave the facility
a six-month reprieve, extending its exemption to June 30, 2008.

Harper admitted yesterday that he remains skeptical about the program
and said that even if it's effective, it's a "second-best strategy at
best."

'Short and Miserable Life'

"If you remain a drug addict, I don't care how much harm you reduce,
you're going to have a short and miserable life," said Harper. He
pledged to continue to study the program and gather the facts on it,
but noted that his government's "tentative conclusion" is that safe
injection sites, if allowed to operate, should operate in concert with
other programs that aim to treat addicts.

Critics of the government said the reprieve for the Vancouver site was
just designed to get the controversy over harm-reduction policy off
the table in time for Harper's drug strategy announcement.

The Canadian Police Association, meanwhile, has expressed support for
the government's get-tough approach to drugs. The organization has
called for stronger legislation and a new system of graduated
consequences to prevent and deter drug use. The group's president,
Tony Cannavino, has called the government's promise to crack down on
illegal drug use and dealers "a cornerstone, because a lot of violence
is related to drugs."