Pubdate: Fri, 13 Jan 2006
Source: Richmond News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.richmond-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244
Author: Nelson Bennett
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

A HEALTHY PLATFORM

It's a simple equation. Drugs plus guns equals violent crime.

Repeal the prohibition on drugs, and replace it with a health-based 
regulatory framework, and you will see all manner of crimes - 
including handgun violence - drop dramatically, says Dr. Rick 
Mathias, Green Party candidate for Richmond.

"Prohibition has failed," he says.

Mathias, who teaches public health at the University of B.C., is a 
member of the British Columbia Health Officers Council, which 
published a paper on repealing prohibition on drugs.

It was that paper - plus an absence of anyone in his riding he felt 
comfortable voting for - that prompted Mathias to run for the Green Party.

"The science (on prohibition) is clear, and now we have to move it 
through the policy and political arena," says the 61-year-old 
political neophyte.

Born in Agassiz, Mathias has lived in Richmond for the last 25 years. 
Mathias was B.C.'s first field epidemiologist and was a founding 
member of the National Advisory committee on AIDS. He has held 
consultancy positions with the World Health Organization on issues 
like immunization and hepatitis B.

Due to his background in public health, Mathias was appointed the 
Green Party's shadow critic for health, and has helped write the 
party's platform on health.

Not surprisingly, many of his own platform planks are health related. 
For example, Mathias believes obesity, which is a contributing factor 
to high rates of Type Two diabetes, is a major national health issue. 
Preventing obesity would go a long way to addressing many health 
concerns and costs.

"We're going to have to take on the food industry," Mathias said.

By that he means heavily taxing - or even banning - certain unhealthy 
foods or substances, like sugar, salt and fat.

"We're going to have to deal with sugar much like we have to deal 
with marijuana or tobacco."

At the same time, while he favours outright prohibition on some 
harmful food substances, he's in favour of repealing prohibition on 
narcotics. That doesn't mean he's in favour of legalization. That 
would send the wrong message to youth, he said.

"We do not want a free market. We want a regulated market," he said.

Mathias said the Vancouver police estimate 70 per cent of crime is 
related to drugs, particularly property crimes. Repealing prohibition 
would deal with the problem of illegal marijuana grow operations and 
drug labs, Mathias said, as well as the growing problem of handgun 
violence in Canada.

"We will probably get rid of 90 per cent of the gang wars, because 
most of the shootings here_particularly in the Indo-Canadian 
community are over drugs. We'll get rid of the handgun problem by 
getting rid of prohibition."

But for those who do end up getting shot and have to go to the 
hospital, Mathias believes there should be a choice between public 
and private facilities.

The Green Party supports a publicly funded health care insurance 
program, but with a mix of public and private delivery - much like 
the models in place in many European countries.

Under the current global funding system, Mathias said hospitals get 
rewarded for "doing as little as possible." The Green Party proposes 
to pay hospitals on a fee for service basis. Hospitals would 
therefore compete with private clinics.

The Green Party would also include dental care and pharmacare in the 
Canada Health Act. Under such a system, all Canadians would get basic 
coverage for both dental care and drug coverage. Catastrophic health 
care would also be covered.

On the environment, Mathias said Canada - despite having signed the 
Kyoto Accord - is failing miserably to meet its emissions targets.

"The gap between what we said we were going to do and what we have 
done is growing. Emissions are going up, they're not going down."

Addressing gridlock and other transportation issues have emerged as 
major election issues in many Lower Mainland communities.

Rather than spend money on roads and bridges, Mathias said he would 
have the government invest in alternatives that address 
transportation issues while reducing emissions. He would also give 
citizens free bus passes.

Unlike Liberal MP Raymond Chan, Mathias said he would not spend $100 
million or more on the Blundell interchange and George Massey tunnel 
expansion - projects that would only increase truck traffic on Lower 
Mainland roads.

If he had that much money to spend on transportation, Mathias said he 
would some of it into research into alternatives that address 
transportation issues while reducing emissions. He would also give 
citizens free bus passes.

While some politicians view all economic growth as positive, Mathias 
said that's not always the case, and said it needs to be checked.

"Growth is necessary; uncontrolled growth is cancer," he said.

One area in Richmond that will certainly see some growth is the 
136-acre Garden City lands. Mathias would like to see some of he land 
used for energy efficient, affordable housing for seniors, and urban farming.

"Let's take a piece of that and turn it into a demonstration 
project," he said. "It's great farmland."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom