Pubdate: Tue, 08 Nov 2011 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2011 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) HOW WILL OUR LEADERS STOP THE VIOLENCE? Since former U.S. President Richard Nixon began the =93War on Drugs=94 in 1971, countries around the world have developed ever more =AD and ever more harsh =AD legislative regimes to prevent the consumption of and trade in illicit narcotics. And every time a new drug-related law is implemented, politicians emphasize that it is necessary for the protection of the public =AD specifically, to discourage people, and in particular children, from using drugs, and to protect everyone from the violence associated with the drug trade. However, as detailed in a new report from Stop the Violence BC, a coalition of academics, current and former police officers, and members of the public, the war on marijuana has failed to achieve any of its stated goals. Indeed, the effect of the war has been the exact opposite of what was intended. As for the war on drugs failing to achieve its intended goals: Although the war has cost governments some $2.5 trillion in the last 40 years, marijuana remains as easy to obtain as ever =AD and not just for adults, as many high-school kids say it's either easy or very easy to get marijuana anytime they want. Furthermore, the potency of marijuana has increased and the price has decreased over the last decade, which might explain why rates of use are up. And since the prohibition of marijuana results in an unregulated market for the drug, public health officials have had a hard time addressing the harms related to consumption of the drug. All of that adds up to the war having been a spectacular failure. If that were the end of the story, it would be bad enough, since it would mean governments have wasted trillions of dollars of taxpayers' money for no tangible benefit. But unfortunately, it's much worse than that. Marijuana prohibition has acted as a boon to organized crime, particularly in B.C., where large amounts of the drug are produced. This has resulted in billions of dollars flowing to criminal gangs, and has allowed them to finance other ventures. Things are worse still, since, as every British Columbian knows, the prohibition of marijuana has resulted in serious violence. Indeed, several studies have provided conclusive evidence of a link between drug prohibition and violence, and a close correlation between homicide rates and the amount of funding funnelled to the drug war. The war on drugs has therefore been more than a spectacular failure =AD it has been at least partly responsible for the growth of organized crime and for a dramatic increase in serious violence in our communities. British Columbians are evidently well aware of this, as a recent Angus Reid poll found 87 per cent attribute gang violence to gangs fighting over marijuana profits. And just 12 per cent support keeping marijuana laws in place. With this overwhelming public support for change, and the overwhelming evidence of the damage done by marijuana prohibition, one would expect politicians to respond. Yet instead, the federal government, in its omnibus crime bill, plans to implement mandatory sentences for marijuana-related crime, which, all of the evidence would suggest, will result in an increase in violence. This simply isn't good enough. Our leaders have a responsibility to implement and support measures that will protect the public, rather than doing the opposite. And since the evidence is in =AD since we know what will increase and decrease violence =AD it's time for politicians to detail exactly how they plan to reduce gang violence in the future. And it's time the public demanded that politicians do so. On Nov. 10, Stop the Violence BC will be holding Down to the Wire, a panel discussion with Major Neill Franklin of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Damon Barrett of Harm Reduction International, and Evan Wood of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. The discussion begins at 7 p.m. at SFU Woodward's Cinema. For more information, see stoptheviolencebc.org - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom