Pubdate: Mon, 10 Aug 2015
Source: Vancouver 24hours (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Vancouver 24 hrs.
Contact: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/letters
Website: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3837
Author: Petr Pospisil
Note: Petr Pospisil is an educator, musician, union and social 
organizer. He studied genetics at UBC and co-created crackshackormansion.com.
Page: 4

The duel

Columnists Petr Pospisil and Brent stafford battle over the issues of 
the day. The winner of the last Duel on Insite was Petr with 66%.

This week's topic: Do we need another 'War on Drugs" to fight the 
recent outbreak of fentanyl overdose deaths?

DRUG USERS NEED EDUCATION AND SUPPORT-NOT PROSECUTION

I'm a little confused by Brent's logic. He believes the drug war must 
be escalated in order to be more effective. But he also suggests we 
first legalize marijuana, the most commonly used drug, to reduce the 
harm from the drug war. If the American witch-hunt against Mary-Jane 
didn't precipitate its decline, why would the same tactics conquer 
other drugs? Using the criminal justice system to punish drug users 
is asinine. The punishment for drugs is inherent in the act. Almost 
every day people in our neighbourhoods lose their jobs, families and 
lives. If seeing the carnage of addicts doesn't deter people, then 
the risk of arrest certainly won't help.

Those least afraid of prison or death have every incentive to feed at 
the trough of profits found in the shadows of penalizing drug laws. 
The U.S. has some of the toughest penalties in the world but have the 
highest rates of cocaine and marijuana use. Connecticut imposes a 
seven-to-25-year prison sentence for possession of small amounts of 
narcotics, yet they are suffering a heroin epidemic. When the police 
bust a drug ring, another shipment fills the void. The game of 
whack-a-mole aids the evolution towards more violent and ruthless 
criminals. We've seen governments crack down on one illegal drug only 
to see the rise of another, often more harmful one. When 
pharmaceutical companies tried to prevent the snorting of OxyContin 
with a new uncrushable pill, dealers replaced it with fentanyl. We 
can't expect criminals to look after the public well-being-that's 
supposed to be the government's job.

Portuguese politicians took their responsibilities seriously and 
formed a panel of experts to develop a policy that reduces drug use. 
Their answer was give people help instead of punishment. They 
decriminalized possession and enhanced society's effort in addiction 
treatment. The outcome was a 24% reduction in drug use among early 
teens, and a staggering drop in drug-related deaths. Not all 
statistics point to a resounding success, but the drug-fuelled 
disaster many predicted did not materialize. Instead, the number of 
people seeking drug treatment significantly increased. We should not 
compete with the U.S. over who can develop the most punitive and 
harmful drug policy. Let's spare addicts, police, and greater society 
the outcome of our tough talk and bad ideas and come up with a more 
effective national policy.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom