Pubdate: Mon, 13 Apr 2009
Source: Hill Times, The (Ottawa, CN ON)
Copyright: 2009 Hill Times Publishing Inc.
Contact:  http://www.thehilltimes.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/192
Authors: Jacob Hunter, and Kirk Tousawa

BILL C-15 DANGEROUS AND RADICAL CHANGE IN CANADA'S DRUG POLICY

Bill C-15 is a dangerous and radical change in Canadian drug policy 
that will further enrich gangsters, create more violence on our 
streets, and assuredly fail to reduce either the demand for, or the 
availability of, drugs in our society.

This statement may seem bold. But it is backed by the preponderance 
of available science. Comprehensive studies published by the Senate 
of Canada, the Canadian Department of Justice, the European 
Commission, the U.S. Congressional Research Service, the Fraser 
Institute, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Rand 
Corporation all support the view that mandatory minimum sentencing 
for drug offences are useless at best. At worst, these policies will 
increase the dangers associated with the drug markets and, therefore, 
the chaos created on our streets.

The types of mandatory sentences contained in Bill C-15 have been 
utter failures in the United States. There is no evidence that 
harsher penalties affect drug use rates or the supply of drugs on the 
streets. Nor do such sentences appear to deter prohibition-related violence.

Instead of seeing success from its mandatory sentencing policies, the 
United States has become the world's largest jailer with one in every 
99 adults in custody. The United States has five per cent of the 
world's population and 25 per cent of the world's prisoners.

Many of those persons are serving time for non-violent drug offences. 
Bottom line: the United States has some of the harshest sentencing 
regimes in the non-totalitarian world while also suffering from the 
highest rates of drug use, the highest violent crime rates and the 
richest, most powerful gangs. Instead of serving a positive purpose, 
Bill C-15 will increase the power of organized crime and the violence 
associated with the illegal drug markets.

Indeed, the very idea of mandatory minimum sentences relies on 
assumptions that are simply false. There is no evidence of any 
deterrent effect on organized criminals: these people are already 
willing to risk arrest, prosecution, incarceration and, indeed, a 
violent death from other criminals in order to make the huge profits 
associated with high-level drug trafficking.

There is no evidence of deterrent effect on street-level dealers: 
these people are often addicted to the substances they sell and 
commit the crime out of desperation driven by their addiction to very 
expensive drugs. Worse, while Bill C-15 purports to target "serious" 
drug offences, its terms apply to even very minor offences such as 
growing a single marijuana plant. This helps no one in our society.

Currently, marijuana offences comprise more than three-quarters of 
all drug crimes. This drains police resources that are better spent 
elsewhere. Under a regulated market, police would have resources 
freed up to investigate violent crimes and property offences. This 
benefits us all. Bill C-15 does nothing to address this problem. 
Indeed, it makes it worse.

Passing C-15 would be costly and dangerous to Canadians and Canadian society.

Jacob Hunter

Kirk Tousawa

Vancouver, B.C.

(The authors run the website WhyProhibition.ca).
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