Pubdate: Wed, 30 Jul 2014
Source: Beacon Herald, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 Osprey Media Group Inc.
Contact: http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/letters
Website: http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1459
Author: Robert Sharpe
Page: A5
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n615/a04.html
Cited: Medical prescription of heroin to treatment resistant heroin 
addicts: two randomised controlled trials: 
http://www.bmj.com/content/327/7410/310.full

MIDDLE GROUND IN DRUG WAR

A response to John Robson's July 24 column.

There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket 
legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown 
to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users by providing 
them with standardized doses in a clinical setting. The successful 
Swiss program has inspired heroin maintenance pilot projects in 
Canada, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands.

If expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized 
crime of a core client base. This would render illegal heroin 
trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations addiction. 
Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, only without 
the advertising.

Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. As long as 
organized crime controls marijuana distribution, consumers of the 
most popular illicit drug (marijuana) will continue to come into 
contact with sellers of hard drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and 
heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition. 
Marijuana may be relatively harmless, but marijuana prohibition is deadly.

For information on the efficacy of heroin maintenance please read the 
following British Medical Journal report: 
www.bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/327/7410/310/ 
www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/327/7410/310 To learn more about 
Canada's heroin maintenance research please visit: www.naomistudy.ca .

Sincerely,

Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom