Pubdate: Thu, 17 Nov 2016
Source: Windsor Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 The Windsor Star
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/501
Author: Dalson Chen
Page: A7

WINDSOR LAW PROF PROPOSES LEGALIZING ALL DRUGS

Substance-free world a fantasy; best to permit, but discourage, he
advises

It's time to admit we've lost the war on drugs - and to take the
radical course of legalizing all of them, University of Windsor law
professor emeritus Bill Bogart says in his new book.

"Look, there is no perfect answer here. We will always have people using 
substances," said Bogart, whose book Off the Street: Legalizing Drugs 
was released Nov. 12 on Dundurn Press.

"The notion of a drug-free world is a fantasy. And so we have to
figure out the least harmful way to address substance
consumption."

A 280-page analysis, Off the Street proposes what is admittedly a
"controversial pathway" regarding recreational drugs - a shift from
criminalization to regulation.

The first step is conceding that the so-called War on Drugs declared
by the U.S. government more than 40 years ago has been an abject
failure. "It has not achieved its central objective, which was to
suppress drug use," Bogart argued.

Indeed, Bogart said statistics show use of some drugs has actually
increased. And beyond that, the war has had deep collateral costs.

"We've imprisoned people simply because they take a substance. We've
allowed a black market, that is run by thugs, to flourish. We've
deprived governments of a revenue source from an industry - and it is
an industry," Bogart said.

According to Bogart, the approach we must now take towards drugs - the
"least bad" way forward - is to "permit but discourage." It's a
concept that Bogart feels is not far-fetched.

"Permit but discourage. This is the same rubric we've applied to other
areas of consumption: alcohol, tobacco, gambling, even non-nutritious
food," Bogart said.

"At one point, alcohol and gambling were criminalized - forbidden -
until we came to realize the costs of prohibition were simply too high."

While Bogart agrees that revamping legislation and building a
regulatory framework for all recreational drugs will be a complicated
task, he believes it is realistic and achievable.

"We'll start with marijuana, and we'll learn from that experience,"
Bogart said. "From there, we will cautiously and incrementally look at
legalizing and regulating substances such as cocaine and heroin."

Steps regarding the latter substance are not as remote as one might
think. Bogart pointed out that supervised injection sites in Vancouver
are already providing "safe harbours" for heroin users, in the hopes
of preventing the spread of disease, reducing overdoses and
intercepting tainted drugs.

As for those who fear for the health and safety of children in a world
where all drugs are legal, Bogart said he shares such concerns. "We
must always, in my view, have the protection of children as our first
priority."

"(Critics) will search long and hard for anything in my book that
suggests we should take a lackadaisical attitude towards children and
drugs. The question that I ask back is: How, in fact, do we prevent
kids from using drugs?" Bogart said.

"I would suggest the criminal paradigm has not been effective. 'Just
say no' is simply sloganeering."

Off the Street: Legalizing Drugs is available in paperback and ebook 
formats via Dundurn Press, www.dundurn.com
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt