Pubdate: Fri, 01 Mar 2013
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Times Colonist
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html
Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n092/a10.html
Author: Matthew M. Elrod

GET TO THE ROOTS OF DRUG PROBLEMS

Re: "Don't let crime ruin community," editorial, Feb. 26.

Yes, those who are neighbours to "crack shacks" and "drug dens" would
undoubtedly appreciate them being temporarily boarded up, but as the
editorial rightly pointed out, this sort of predation merely shifts
drug-related activity around, and the residents of the communities in
which the undesirable activity inevitably increases become
understandably upset.

Studies have shown that ratcheting up drug-law enforcement increases
crime and violence through several mechanisms, including the
destabilization of drug markets and what is known in the literature as
the "balloon effect." Crack down in Colombia and things get worse in
Mexico. Close the Mexican border and trafficking shifts to the
Caribbean. Board up a drug den in Fernwood and two open up in Esquimalt.

Rather than an ill-considered "sort of disinfecting process," more
would be accomplished by treating drug abuse among our friends and
family as a public-health problem, by investing in mental-health care,
prevention, treatment and harm-reduction, including supervised
consumption sites and drug maintenance and substitution programs.

More still would be accomplished by abandoning our counter-productive
"war on drugs."

Matthew M. Elrod

Metchosin
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MAP posted-by: Matt