DOPEY DRUG WARS

Just a few short years ago, Americans were getting mad at us because
Canada was so close to decriminalizing pot, you could smell the skunk
in the air. But this week, Stephen Harper's (still) New Government has
announced plans to overhaul and toughen drug laws, bringing us
ever-closer to the destructive, counter-productive and often idiotic
American model. Drug offenders can expect stiffer penalties, anti-drug
campaigns will be ramped up and border guards will get more money. But
no cash is set aside for treatment or harm-reduction measures like
safe injection sites. The plan's many critics-ranging from the federal
Liberals to physicians to academics-say this is another example of
pandering to people's fears, and of ideology trumping science.