Pubdate: Tue, 17 Apr 2012
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2012 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326

THE WAR ON DRUGS HAS FAILED

It's sign of just how disastrous the global war on drugs has become
that sitting politicians, including Canada's prime minister, are
starting to acknowledge its failure.

At a news conference wrapping up the Summit of the Americas on the
weekend, Stephen Harper said, "I think what everyone believes and
agrees with, and to be frank myself, is that the current approach is
not working, but it is not clear what we should do."

This tentative recognition of an obvious fact is big news coming from
a cheerleader for criminalization and enforcement. The "approach" to
drugs in Central and South America stems from the same philosophy the
Conservatives have defended for years. There is a connection between
prohibition in places in Canada and the activities of drug cartels in
places like Mexico. We create the demand; they furnish the supply.

Felipe Calderon became president of Mexico in 2006 and declared a war
on drug-related organized crime. The result was a sharp increase in
the homicide rate. In some areas, citizens are caught between
unspeakably evil drug gangs on one side, and abusive or corrupt
soldiers and police on the other. A recent Human Rights Watch report
"found evidence of a significant increase in human rights violations
since Calderon launched his 'war on organized crime'." Those abuses
include torture, extra-judicial killings and disappearances.

For a few years now, respected leaders in Central and South America
have been saying "enough." The Global Commission on Drug Policy, a
group of eminent people that includes many former heads of state, has
called for "fundamental reforms" of drug policies.

That Commission published a statement this month called "Drugs: The 
debate goes mainstream," signed by Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Ernesto 
Zedillo and Cesar Gaviria - former presidents of Brazil, Mexico and 
Colombia respectively.

The former presidents blame prohibition for decades of violence and
public health disasters. They say what's needed is a shift in how
every country in the Americas thinks about the public health problem
that is drug addiction. "The criminalization of drug use is the
primary obstacle to treatment and rehabilitation," they wrote.

We've seen proof of that in Ottawa, lately, as politicians line up to
oppose a safe-injection site, despite evidence that suggests such
sites can help addicts access treatment. Similar programs for alcohol
don't meet with the same knee-jerk opposition, because alcohol is
legal. A combination of regulation and access to treatment has helped
smokers get off tobacco.

Harper has long wanted Canada to exert more influence in the Americas,
and it's an important region for Canada's mining sector. But on the
most important security question in the region, Canada is still
several steps behind.
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MAP posted-by: Matt