Pubdate: Wed, 03 Oct 2007
Source: National Post (Canada)
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/editorialsletters/story.html?id=aa007684-6a7c-41ef-acb1-9257a76f2174
Copyright: 2007 Southam Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Lorne Gunter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

A BETTER WAY TO FIGHT THE DRUG WAR

It's not often I find myself at odds with the police, particularly on 
law and order issues. But on the Conservative government's new 
anti-drug strategy, expected out this week, I'm afraid I cannot share 
the official sunny assessment of the Canadian Police Association (CPA).

On Sunday, following a Parliament Hill ceremony honouring fallen 
officers, Tony Cannavino, the CPA president, called the government's 
plan -- many aspects of which have already been widely leaked -- "a 
cornerstone" that should help curb the violence that has accompanied 
Canada's expanding drug trade. I hope he's right, but instead, I 
suspect he is guilty of wishful thinking.

There is every indication that the Tories' plan will lead to an 
obsession with arresting individual users, and rely too heavily on 
persuading addicts to kick their habit. In other words, it will focus 
on winning the war on drugs by attacking the demand side. Reduce the 
number of users, the theory goes, and the drug kingpins, smugglers 
and pushers will have no one to sell to. The drug trade will become 
unprofitable and they will quit it.

Such an approach is destined to fail.

There is no doubt we need to attack the underground drug trade. Drugs 
and drug dealing are behind much of Canada's high-profile crime -- 
including most street shootings. Still, unless the Tories' scheme is 
substantially smarter than the Americans' war on drugs, it cannot 
expect to be any more effective.

While U.S. drug enforcement efforts initially concentrated on 
large-scale producers and dealers, police forces soon found it easier 
to generate impressive arrest statistics by rounding up casual users 
and individual addicts, which has done little to curb demand or quell violence.

There are already some discouraging signs in the leaked details of 
our new federal plan that hint we will end up on the same path. For 
instance, the $64-million in new annual funding is far too small a 
sum, and it is directed mostly to the wrong priorities. Last spring's 
budget suggested it would be split 15% for prevention, 50% for 
treatment of drug addicts and 35% for police resources to arrest 
dealers and drug producers.

Since nearly all the violence associated with the drug trade stems 
from turf wars between syndicates and gangs over who may make or sell 
drugs in which neighbourhoods, too little of this new money would 
appear to be earmarked to help police. All of it probably would not 
be enough to counter the well-armed, highly organized criminal 
networks that control much of our nation's drug trade. And since the 
hundreds of millions already spent by Canadian governments has done 
little to stem user demand for drugs, the 65% aimed at individuals 
may well be wasted.

Rather than declare that there are "no safe drugs," as Health 
Minister Tony Clement is expected to do when the anti-drug campaign 
is launched, the government should consider accepting that -- for 
good or bad -- drug use is a personal choice. As such, there is 
little it can do to prevent it. But given that it is a personal 
choice, society has little obligation to pay for the consequences of 
misuse. Legalize most drugs, but also declare no welfare for addicts. 
Let private charities supply relief and health care for those who 
abuse drugs. That would at least compel some users to confront the 
economic costs of their choices and might -- might -- discourage more 
Canadians from taking drugs than any preachy government advertising 
campaign or assault on casual drug use.