Pubdate: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 Source: Esquimalt News (CN BC) Copyright: 2001 Esquimalt News Contact: http://www.esquimaltnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1290 Author: Mark Browne MP CALLS FOR END TO DRUG WAR As the ongoing war on drugs is doing nothing to effectively address the problem of drug abuse it's time to try something else. That's the opinion of Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca MP Keith Martin on the issue of drug abuse. And that's why the local Canadian Alliance MP tried to bring in a private member's bill last week in the House of Commons aimed at addressing drug abuse and the illicit drug trade which are showing no signs of going away. "We're losing the battle and we need to rethink how we deal with substance abuse," says Martin. The first part of Martin's motion dealt with reducing domestic consumption of drugs through rehabilitation programs based on new European models. Such programs have proven to have good track records. "We need to put a greater emphasis on consumption rather than production because if there's no consumption and no demand there wouldn't be any production," Martin explains. Many Latin American politicians are supportive of such an approach, he says. And even some politicians in the US - the country known for perpetuating the so-called war on drugs - are beginning to admit it's time to take a more rehabilitative approach to drug abuse. Martin says, while he was visiting Colombia a couple of months ago, US Senator John McCain publicly stated it's time for his country to revamp it's stance on drug consumption. Simply waging war on Colombian drug cartels hasn't in itself had any noticeable impact on reducing the amount of cocaine and heroin people use in North America, says Martin. When some of the major cocaine cartels in Colombia were put out of business in the early 1990s, other organizations such as the Marxist guerrillas and paramilitary groups simply took over. Some of the European models aimed a reducing drug consumption are concerned with areas including detox programs, counselling and providing job skills to help addicts leave the drug scene. "You have to get the person in a structured environment away from their drug environment," adds Martin. Another section of Martin's motion was concerned with introducing the national Headstart program which involves early intervention techniques as a way of steering children in the right direction. One of the features of the Headstart program involves strengthening the parent-child bond which he argues is a great way of reducing the chances of children getting messed up on drugs. While tackling the problem of drug consumption is a start, Martin would also like Canada to step up it's fight against organized crime. Part of Martin's motion called for the introduction of amendments to the criminal code that would be based on the American Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO). That, says Martin, would allow law enforcement agencies to go after the profits earned by major players in the illegal drug trade. Lastly, Martin's private members bill called for a hemispheric free trade agreement that reduces tariffs, non-tariff barriers and the elimination of double taxation regimes. Such a move, he argues, would make it possible for farmers in places like Colombia to stop growing cocoa leaves, and more recently, opium, and produce legitimate crops instead. As is the case with almost every private members bill, Martin's motion was denied. Still, there was a good reason to try and bring the bill in while realistically expecting it would get defeated. In this case, it's to give the concept some publicity on the eve of the Summit of the Americas slated to run from April 20-22 in Quebec City . "The whole purpose of the private members motion is to raise awareness before the Summit because we're the host and have an enormous opportunity to deal with the illicit drug trade in a new way and develop consensus," says Martin. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom