WAR ON DRUGS HAS ALREADY FAILED

Dear Editor:

The U.S.-style drug war being promoted by Stephen Harper's
neo-conservative government is a failed policy which will result in
more crime, more disease, overcrowded prisons and clogged courts. It
is time for a new approach.

The police are the wrong agency to deal with the health and social
issues around the use of psychoactive substances. However
well-intentioned their efforts, it is prohibition itself which creates
most of the problems it claims to solve. During alcohol prohibition,
violent gang warfare between rival underground alcohol dealers was
commonplace. We see the same thing happening now with rival drug
dealers. Just as the police were unable to stop the violence then,
they will be unsuccessful now. The only way to end the violence was to
create a legal, regulated market for alcohol.

Canada should therefore legalize marijuana and introduce a national
drug policy based upon harm reduction, regulated access and
responsible use. This is the best way to reduce disorder, increase
public health and eliminate gang violence.

Dana Larsen

Federal NDP candidate

West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast -

Sea-to-Sky Country