Pubdate: Tue, 13 Nov 2007
Source: Abbotsford Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 The Abbotsford Times
Contact:  http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1009
Author: Keith Baldrey
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

NEW ATTITUDE ON DRUGS IS BREWING

It's not often that gang warfare makes its way into the legislature 
as the main topic of debate, but that's exactly what happened this 
month as the Lower Mainland seemed to morph into something out of The 
Untouchables.

Gangland shootings have dominated headlines and newscasts, and 
politicians on both sides of the house found themselves grappling 
with an issue usually far from their bailiwick.

There was a lot of talk about amalgamating police forces in the Lower 
Mainland into a cohesive regional force, the need for tougher 
sentences for gang members and frustration about immigration polices 
that allow some convicted gang leaders to avoid deportation.

But one issue wasn't raised: whether or not the legalization of drugs 
might at least be considered a viable option in the face of apparent 
unstoppable growth of organized crime and gang activity in this province.

Neither the B.C. Liberals nor the New Democrats want to go down that 
road, and prefer to yell at each other about which party is tougher 
on criminals.

The police, and Solicitor General John Les, initially tried to 
downplay the violence as nothing more than an unfortunate statistical 
spike in such behaviour. After a few days their attitude seemed to 
change, culminating in a showy news conference featuring all kinds of 
officers trooping into the same room to show they have a united front 
against the bad guys.

But does anyone actually believe the police are winning this war? Law 
enforcement authorities themselves have acknowledged that organized 
crime and illegal gangs are increasing - not decreasing - their 
presence in communities.

Drug trafficking is the economic backbone of those organizations. 
There are enormous profits to be had in the procurement and sale of 
illegal substances, and the primary reason for those profits is the 
fact they are illegal in the first place.

The recent spate of gang shootings invoked more than one comment that 
the Lower Mainland was becoming like Chicago of the 1920s.

The comparison is apt in an important way - back then, the illegal 
substance fuelling the criminal empires of people like Al Capone was alcohol.

When Prohibition was repealed, the gang wars died down. When the 
illegality of alcohol was gone, so too was the profit margin for the gangs.

And now one has to wonder whether the war on drugs is doing more harm 
than actual use of those drugs. Can the police really point to huge 
success stories in their relentless clash with drug kingpins and low-lifes?

More importantly, who should control the use and distribution of 
drugs - criminal organizations or the government?

These are not idle questions. In fact, key people in both health and 
law enforcement circles are advocating a radical new attitude towards drugs.

In the U.S., a group of current and ex-police officers have created 
an organization called Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. That 
organization, to which many ex-narcotic officers belong, makes 
credible arguments about how the current approach to illegal drugs is 
an abysmal failure.

And the controlled use of drugs has crept onto the public health 
scene in recent years. The safe injection site in Vancouver is an 
example of the tacit acknowledgement there is a role for the state 
when it comes to the control and use of certain drugs.

Some public health advocates say we should go even further and 
actually medically prescribe the drugs to addicts, many of who are so 
desperate they will routinely break the law to finance their habit. 
Giving them secure access to something they need presumably would 
greatly reduce their criminal activity.

The amalgamation of police forces may indeed help combat organized 
crime. But then again, it may prove to be no more effective than what 
is being done now. However, eliminating the profit margin from the 
gangs' core economic activity - drug trafficking - may do a heck of a 
lot more than shuffling the police bureaucracy.

- - Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global B.C.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman