Pubdate: Thu, 22 Dec 2016
Source: Parksville Qualicum Beach News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Black Press
Contact:  http://www.pqbnews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1361
Author: Michael Scott

DRUG WAR FAILED

Yes, there is a fentanyl crisis, but it is one we made ourselves in
our all-fired enthusiasm to control everything.

The Drug War had its origins almost exactly 100 years ago when
legislation was created both in the U.S. and Canada to "control"
cannabis and opium, and were largely racially-inspired attacks on
unpopular minorities who used these substances (eg. Chinese labourers
working on the CP railway, and disposable artsy types).

Since the Second World War, the drug problem has grown like Topsy,
each ill-advised exacerbation of the laws being reliably accompanied
by an increase in prison populations, in the U.S. from 500,000 in 1980
to about 2.2 million in 2013.

Really, alarm bells didn't start ringing until solid middle class boys
came back from Vietnam with serious addiction problems and drug
control experts started appearing on TV.

Here's the thing: when you harshly control low-potency drugs like
opium and weed, then the traffickers have to go to ever-higher potency
substances which are easier to smuggle. So instead of smoking opium or
pot or chewing coca leaf, the user has to resort to what is readily
available, ie. heroin and crack. And now fentanyl, with our inspired
pols running around like headless chickens, wishing we were back in
the days when the worst evil we had to deal with was heroin.

Clever chemists have now made fentanyl so potent that policemen have
to wear full HAZMAT suits when they go on raids, and naloxone (Narcan)
is about as effective as sugar water.

After decades of Drug War we are on the brink of legalizing
recreational cannabis and the InSite program in Vancouver is being
expanded. Whoda thunk that back in 1980?

Michael Scott

French Creek
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MAP posted-by: Matt