Pubdate: Fri, 08 Nov 2002 Source: Kamloops This Week (CN BC) Copyright: 2002 Kamloops This Week Contact: http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1271 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2040/a05.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) DRUG DOGS MAUL LIBERTY Editor: Regarding the debate over the possibility of drug-sniffing dogs in Surrey schools, I hope Canada has better success with the police-state approach to public health problems than the former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated. In the United States, drug-sniffing dogs in schools, police searches on public transit and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties, while failing miserably to prevent drug use. Lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the U.S. than any country in Europe. The U.S. offers Canada tragic examples of anti-drug strategies which are best avoided. U.S. centers for disease control researchers estimate 57 per cent of AIDS cases among women and 36 per cent of overall AIDS cases in the U.S. are linked to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject drugs. This easily preventable public health crisis is a direct result of zero tolerance policies which restrict access to clean syringes. While American schools are finally dropping the once popular Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, Canadian schools are just starting to implement it. The scare tactics used do more harm than good. Students who realize they've been lied to about marijuana often make the mistake of assuming harder drugs, such as heroin, are relatively harmless, too. This is a recipe for disaster. Another worrisome U.S. import now being used in Canada is civil asset forfeiture, in which financial incentives created for police, risk turning what should be protectors of the peace into predators. Enough horror stories have arisen surrounding forfeiture in the U.S. the federal government had to step in to curb abuses. Despite modest reforms, the U.S. remains one of the most backward countries in the world in terms of drug policy. Canada should Just Say No to the American inquisition. Robert Sharpe, M.P.A., Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D