Pubdate: Sat, 31 Jul 2010
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2010 Times Colonist
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html
Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: David Bratzer
Note: David Bratzer is a member of the board of directors for Law 
Enforcement Against Prohibition and is a police officer in British 
Columbia. The opinions expressed in this column do not represent the 
views of his employer.
Referenced: The Vienna Declaration http://www.viennadeclaration.com/

OUR DRUG POLICIES FUELLING HIV EPIDEMIC

In Canada, Bill S-10 Will Turn Users into Hardened Criminals

Like many other police officers, I have witnessed the tragedy of the 
HIV epidemic firsthand. It is one thing to read the statistics 
demonstrating the connection between illicit drug use and HIV; it is 
another matter entirely to patrol the streets, day in and day out, 
repeatedly arresting men and women infected with HIV.

Our country has one of the finest health-care systems in the world, 
but our laws surrounding drug use result in unnecessary disease and death.

In this context, the recent announcement of the Vienna Declaration 
has bolstered my conviction that drug prohibition is a national policy failure.

The document, inspired by an international team of leading health 
scientists and academic physicians, is the official declaration of 
this month's International AIDS Conference in Vienna. It presents an 
important scientific fact that I see reflected in my work every day: 
"The criminalization of illicit drug users is fuelling the HIV 
epidemic and has resulted in overwhelmingly negative health and 
social consequences."

The declaration calls for a "full policy reorientation." This should 
not be misconstrued as an endorsement of drug use.

It is simply a recognition that drug law enforcement is not an 
effective deterrent, citing studies showing "there is no evidence 
that increasing the ferocity of law enforcement meaningfully reduces 
the prevalence of drug use."

It is also a recognition that drug-law enforcement is contributing 
directly to the HIV epidemic. In most parts of the world, 
approximately one in three HIV infections can be traced back to 
intravenous drug use. Toronto, Ottawa, Victoria, Winnipeg and other 
Canadian cities are not immune.

Drug prohibition increases the rate of HIV infections. When illegal 
drugs are sold through the black market, the only concern is making 
money. There is no financial incentive for traffickers to provide 
drug education, counselling or harm reduction services such as sterile needles.

In addition, in parts of Canada it is common for an injection drug 
user to be arrested for a minor drug charge and end up with a 
court-imposed condition to abstain from possessing drug paraphernalia.

Addicts are then forced to choose whether to carry sterile needles 
and risk a new criminal charge or to share a needle with another 
addict who may already have a bloodborne disease.

The Vienna Declaration is particularly important within Canada. Bill 
S-10 is before Parliament. It is the federal government's third 
attempt in as many years to create mandatory minimum sentences for 
certain drug offences.

The wording of this legislation virtually guarantees that 
street-level drug addicts will find themselves going to jail for 
lengthy prison terms. This will do nothing but channel limited tax 
dollars away from health and education and into costly incarceration 
policies which will turn petty drug users into hardened criminals.

HIV prevention efforts will be hampered if this bill passes. The HIV 
infection rates in federal prisons are similar to some African 
countries, according to the statistics provided by the Correctional 
Service of Canada. So, for many of these addicts, part of their 
sentence will include a substantial risk of contracting HIV or Hepatitis C.

Of course, the Vienna Declaration is not the first time a major 
initiative has been announced to coincide with the biannual 
International AIDS Conference. Ten years ago, the Durban Declaration 
stated a basic scientific truth: That HIV is the cause of AIDS. More 
than 5,000 scientists and medical doctors signed the document in an 
effort to confront AIDS denialism.

The main critic of the Durban Declaration was Thabo Mbeki, who was 
president of South Africa at the time. He believed, mistakenly, that 
there was a causal link between poverty and AIDS. In fact it is HIV 
that causes AIDS. His denials, rooted in ignorance and wilful 
blindness, have cost many lives in South Africa.

Given this history, it will be interesting to see who opposes the 
Vienna Declaration. Police lobby groups have traditionally been the 
most vocal critics of drug policy reform. In this instance, however, 
they should choose their responses carefully. At stake is the very 
credibility of these organizations. They risk being remembered in the 
same light as President Mbeki, for it is clear that the new AIDS 
denialism is the failure to acknowledge the realities of HIV transmission.

The Vienna Declaration will play a significant role in HIV policy, 
and I am proud to have signed the document online at viennadeclaration.com.

I can only hope that my colleagues in law enforcement will be 
inspired to do the same.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake