LEGALIZE FOR ADULTS

Fort Saskatchewan Record - Re: Sgt. Kevin Graham (retired) received
Governor General award for introducing school drug awareness program in
Canada. (Story appeared in Sherwood Park News)

Kudos for you Mr. Graham and DARE!

However, according to the Senate Committee on Drug Reform (at
www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/rep-e/summary-e.htm):
revention strategies in schools should not be led by police services or
delivered by police officers;

. The RCMP should reconsider its choice of the DARE program that many
evaluation studies have shown to be ineffective;

. The resources and powers of enforcement are greatly out of balance
compared with those of the health and education fields and the civil
society; . The costs of all illegal drugs had risen to close to $1.4
billion in 1992;

. Of the total costs of illegal drugs in 1992, externalities (social costs)
represented 67 per cent and public policy costs 33 per cent;

. The social costs of illegal drugs and the public policy costs are
underestimated ;

. The cost of enforcing the drug laws is more likely to be closer to $1
billion to $1.5 billion per annum;

. The principal public policy cost relative to cannabis is that of law
enforcement and the justice system; which may be estimated to represent a
total of $300 to $500 million per annum;

. The costs of externalities attributable to cannabis are probably minimal
- -- no deaths, few hospitalizations, and little loss of productivity;

. The costs of public policy on cannabis are disproportionately high given
the drug's social and health consequences; and

. The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse is seriously underfunded; its
annual budget amounts to barely 0.1 per cent of the social costs of illegal
drugs alone (alcohol not included). Its budget should be increased to at
least 1 per cent; that is, approximately $15 million per annum. Explain
that Mr. Graham.

If only we could get politicians and police to end the "war on drugs,"
legalize everything for adults only, regulate it, tax it, and leave it for
the free market instead of neo-Al Capones we would save billions of dollars.

Let's end prohibition at least for our children's sake, so to eliminate
violent drug dealers getting our children to DARE sooner or later to try
drugs. Under prohibition, drug dealers don't have to ask anyone for ID
(that you are legal age) to buy drugs.

Why do those in power refuse to admit the emperor has no clothes?

John Wittan,

Edmonton