CHANGE THE DRUG POLICIES

Your June 19th editorial made the common mistake of confusing
drug-related crime with prohibition-related crime.

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

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

The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

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

The bad news is that 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.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control researchers estimate that 57 per
cent of AIDS cases among women and 36 per cent of overall AIDS cases
in the U.S. are linked to injection drug use or 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 drug policies of
the former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated?

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.