Pubdate: Wed, 3 Jun 2009
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2009 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Author: David Bratzer
Note: David Bratzer is a member of Law Enforcement Against 
Prohibition (www.leap.cc) and
a police officer in British Columbia. The opinions expressed in this 
article are
entirely his own.

LEGALIZE AND REGULATE DRUG USE

I am a police officer who supports incremental change toward the
legalization and regulation of all drugs. This includes marijuana,
heroin, cocaine and other substances. I do not condone drug abuse, nor
breaking the law. But some laws are counterproductive and in this
respect it is time for an honest discussion about Canada's drug laws.

Drug prohibition is an important domestic and foreign policy issue
because its effects are so varied and far-reaching. For example,
international forces are spending enormous sums of money to destroy
the poppy fields of Afghani farmers. Yet destroying some fields only
serves to increase the black market value of the remaining crops. This
increases the domestic price of heroin, resulting in addicts who break
into our cars and homes in order to pay for the exorbitant costs of
their daily fix.

Insite, Vancouver's supervised injection site, and various needle
exchange programs reduce the harm caused by injection drug use. These
programs generate controversy but critics fail to realize they are
half measures. Handing out free needles does not address the larger
problems caused by drug prohibition. Clients of these facilities still
purchase illegal drugs of unknown purity from violent drug dealers at
inflated prices. In addition, many addicts pay for their drugs through
a combination of petty crime and social assistance money. For those
who believe that "funding" drug addiction would send the wrong
message, rest assured: you're already paying for it.

Legalization does not mean that a person who commits a violent offence
while high on drugs will escape punishment. Offenders who steal or
cause harm to others should always face consequences, regardless of
whether they are high, drunk or sober. The point is that the
unintended consequences of drug prohibition cause far more serious
harm than drugs themselves. These consequences include public
disorder, backlogged courts, high property crime rates, organized
crime and gang violence over control of the drug trade. These costs
are not worth an absolute prohibition on drug use in our society.

A better approach would be to treat drug abuse as a public health
problem rather than as a criminal justice problem. It is time for
medical facilities that cover the full spectrum of harm reduction,
including regulated access to heroin and cocaine. Enforcement would
not be part of this health-care solution. Officers would be left free
to focus on areas that have long been underfunded (youth crime,
domestic violence, child pornography and white collar crime come to
mind). And keeping non-violent drug addicts out of jail would leave
more room for the long-term incarceration of truly dangerous criminals.

Some might view this approach as the wishful thinking of the far left.
The truth is that ending drug prohibition is not a left-or right-wing
issue. Many conservatives have supported drug policy reform, including
an American icon, William F. Buckley Jr. Addressing a panel of lawyers
regarding the "war on drugs," he recommended they "proceed to
recommend the legalization of the sale of most drugs, except to minors."

While Buckley wanted to permit the sale of "most drugs," that might
not be the right approach for Canada. Fortunately, there are a range
of options available within a regulatory framework. Each drug has
unique properties so it makes sense to regulate each one differently.
Perhaps some drugs could be taxed and sold like tobacco and alcohol.
Others could be prescribed in maintenance doses by doctors and then
consumed by addicts at monitored sites (this is the model used for
heroin addicts in Switzerland).

These changes need to be made slowly, with a strong focus on
evidence-based policies. But first we need to have this discussion. We
need to admit that what we're doing is not working and embrace the
concept of legalization, to better serve and protect citizens across
Canada.