POLICE TRYING TO BREAK THE CRIME-MACHINE'S CYCLE

Art Powell's concern that addicts will commit more crime to generate more
money to buy more expensive illicit drugs is not substantiated (Despite
police efforts, 'Drugs are here to stay,' Letters, April 16).

Empirical observations by the Vancouver police officers are that the
efforts to increase transaction costs have not resulted in an increase in
the street price of drugs. The goal of increasing "transaction costs" is
directed at the cycle of stealing, converting the stolen property to cash,
and buying and using drugs. We are trying to make it harder for an addicted
human crime machine to complete this cycle, which leads to fewer over-all
crimes.

The ancillary harm reduction benefit is that addicts ingest less poison.

With respect to the legalization argument, there is another economic
anecdote that I will relate:

A doctor, a lawyer and an economist are marooned on an island and are
discussing how to open a can of food. The solution proposed by the
economist is to assume they have a can opener.

Without commenting on the pros and cons of legalization, I will note that
if drug legalization were a readily, or imminently available policy option,
the strategies of the Vancouver police would be vastly different. For now,
we must work within existing laws.

Inspector Jim Chu

Vancouver