Pubdate: Thu, 18 Oct 2007 Source: Hope Standard (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 Hope Standard Contact: http://www.hopestandard.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1397 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1177/a07.html?90371 DRUG WAR DOESN'T FIGHT CRIME, IT FUELS CRIME Editor, The Standard Tom Fletcher makes the common mistake of confusing drug-related crime with prohibition-related crime in his Oct. 11th column. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. The good news is that Canada has already adopted many of the common sense harm reduction interventions first pioneered in Europe. The bad news is that Canada's southern neighbor continues to use its superpower status to export a dangerous moral crusade around the globe. The United States provides tragic examples of anti-drug strategies that are best avoided. U.S. Centers for Disease Control researchers estimate that 57 percent of AIDS cases among women and 36 percent of overall AIDS cases in the U.S. are linked to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject drugs. This easily preventable public health crisis is a direct result of zero tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes. Can Canada afford to emulate the harm maximization approach of the former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated? Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom