GIVE UP ON UNWINNABLE WAR - PROGRAM HAS IT RIGHT

Forty-Seven Pot Labs Busted In Just The First Four Months Of 2002.

At an average of 1,000 plants worth $300,000, that's more than $14 million
of marijuana taken off the streets by the Durham Regional Police Service.
What's the total effect on the availability of weed by this massive effort
to stop pot growers? Zero.

This battle in the war on drugs is a complete and utter waste of time,
money, and effort. Police officials are banging their heads against a brick
wall. They continue to bust grow-op after grow-op and it's all just a drop
in the bucket. Marijuana is as readily available to those who want it as it
was before these plants were confiscated.

No matter how many people get arrested and grow-ops get taken down, people
are still going to use drugs. It's time we realize there is a more sensible
solution than a war on drugs that makes criminals out of the users.

"The war on drugs is over, drugs won," remarked John Howard Society of
Durham Region counsellor Beth Whalen. Ms. Whalen runs a needle exchange
program for the John Howard Society called project xchange and she's right,
the war is over.

The program she runs is also right. It gives clean needles to drug addicts
in exchange for dirty ones to help prevent the spread of infectious
disease. Health Canada studies indicate more than 34 per cent of the
estimated new HIV infections and more than 60 per cent of new hepatitis C
infections are related to injection drug use. In fact, most experts agree
the criminalization of drugs helps contribute to the spread of disease. By
pushing addicts into the back alleys, forcing them to hide from the cops,
fix quickly and move on, dirty needles are shared and diseases are spread.

Ms. Whalen and project xchange are out there making a difference. It's
called harm reduction and it works.

Last year, 1,530 men and 1,197 women exchanged needles in the Durham
program. Project xchange gave out 32,285 needles and took in 31,395. But,
Ms. Whalen says project xchange isn't even scratching the surface. Without
more money they cannot properly service the communities outside of Oshawa.

People say project xchange is condoning drug use. I say they are doing a
lot more than the police and the war on drugs ever did for the health and
well being of society as a whole. Open up your cheque books, people, or
tell your local politicians you want Durham police to stop fighting a war
they'll never win.

Tell them there's a better idea. Harm reduction needs your help and you
need harm reduction.