Pubdate: Tue, 08 May 2012 Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2012 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/5NyOACet Website: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531 Author: David Bond HARPER REFUSES TO CONSIDER THE EVIDENCE Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems determined to stick to preconceived notions he "knows" to be right and to ignore contrary evidence. Two recent examples come to mind. First, at the recent Summit of the Americas he was the lone supporter of the U.S. in rejecting inviting Cuba to attend future meetings. That President Barack Obama would say no is understandable. There is a rabid anti-Castro voting block in Florida, a key state he must carry if he is to be re-elected. Agreeing to allow Cuba to attend was not on. But our prime minister is has no such political pressure. Canada maintains diplomatic relations with Cuba, several Canadian companies have substantial investments there and it is a popular holiday destination for Canadians. Yes, Cuba is a dictatorship but does that mean we can't even talk to them in an international forum? The PM treats Cuba the way he did China until the business community, particularly the oil patch, convinced him to wise up. Our stance toward China had caused the leaders in Beijing to shut us out of many business opportunities and that had to change. I guess Cuba unlike China is not an important market, so we can ignore it. The 50-year American embargo against Cuba has been a resounding failure. True, the country is impoverished, but there is no starvation, literacy rates are at all-time highs and the regime is slowly relaxing its iron grip. Why not talk and perhaps speed up that relaxation? Harper's anti-Cuban stance has not endeared us to many nations in the Americas. We have lost credibility and respect without gaining anything. Harper's second, equally baffling action came with stonewalling at that same conference when several states requested rethinking regarding illicit drugs and drug policy in general. Again, Canada sided with the U.S. in rejecting any discussion. For more than 100 years, the U.S. and Canada have been fighting the spread of illicit drugs. The amount the U.S. spends on this "war" is in the tens of billions annually. And to what avail? Use of drugs has steadily increased. The amounts of money involved in this illicit trade are in the multi-billions and the prison population of those convicted on charges related to drugs has increased by leaps and bounds. But the drugs keep coming in ever-greater amounts. While there have been frequent skirmishes with substantial quantities of drugs seized, the war on drugs has been anything but victorious. You would think political leaders in both of our countries would begin to realize something is wrong. Our society is being undermined by our unwillingness or inability to even consider changing our policies on drugs. The one great achievement prohibition of alcohol in the last century in both the U.S. and Canada accomplished was to provide the financing for organized crime. Al Capone was the first crime boss followed by many others. The war on drugs is having the same effect now in creating vast illicit wealth for drug lords. But of equal, if not greater, concern is the devastating impact the drug trade has on the viability of democracies and civil society in many of our Latin and South American countries. Their request for a rational and open discussion on drug policy and potential solutions was a cry of anguish from our southern neighbours who feel overwhelmed and are asking for help. Obama, again because it's an election year, could only say no. But Harper pursuing his usual political wedge strategy also turned a deaf ear to these pleas. Such narrow-minded politicking by the prime minister made me ashamed of Canada. It certainly cost us a loss of respect among the countries seeking our help. And it did nothing to alleviate our own growing drug problem. David Bond is an author and retired chief economist with the HSBC bank. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt