Pubdate: Tue, 23 Sep 2009
Source: Kirkland Reporter (WA)
Copyright: 2009 Sound Publishing
Contact:  http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/kir/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4930
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n698/a12.html

MIDDLE GROUND BETWEEN DRUG PROHIBITION AND LEGALIZATION

In response to Jeff Jared's op-ed:

There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket 
legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown 
to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users. Providing 
addicts with standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many 
of the problems associated with illicit heroin use. The success of 
the Swiss program has inspired heroin maintenance pilot projects in 
Canada, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands. If expanded, 
prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized crime of a 
core client base. This would render illegal heroin trafficking 
unprofitable and spare future generations addiction.

Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, only without 
the ubiquitous advertising. Separating the hard and soft drug markets 
is critical. As long as marijuana distribution is controlled by 
organized crime, consumers of the most popular illicit drug will 
continue to come into contact with sellers of addictive drugs like 
methamphetamine. Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal 
alcohol, it makes no sense to waste tax dollars on failed policies 
that finance organized crime and facilitate hard drug use. Drug 
policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to 
think the children are more important than the message.

For information on the efficacy of heroin maintenance please read the 
following British Medical Journal report:

bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/327/7410/310

To learn more about Canada's heroin maintenance research please visit:

www.naomistudy.ca

Robert Sharpe, Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom