Pubdate: Wed, 8 May 2002 Source: Esquimalt News (CN BC) Copyright: 2002 Esquimalt News Contact: http://www.esquimaltnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1290 Author: Mark Browne MARTIN DECLINES INVITE TO FORUM Keith Martin decided to "just say no" to a group of anti-drug crusaders who staged a conference in Vancouver last week. The Canadian Alliance MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca turned down an invitation from the group, who are adamantly opposed to decriminalizing drugs or harm reduction programs as an approach to addressing drug addiction. Conference organizers favour a strong, punitive approach to those who use drugs, says Martin. He notes Drug Free America was one of the major sponsors of the conference and provided a lot of financial backing for the event. "It was primarily American driven," says Martin. That said, he refused to participate in a conference that supports the U.S.-driven war on drugs which, Martin says, is arguably a failure as illicit drug use is still out of control. He notes only those on the "just say no" side were permitted to speak at the conference. Martin wouldn't have had the opportunity to step up to the podium since he doesn't support the group's views. "They're only interested in listening to one side of the story - they're highly biased," says Martin. Martin says he can't begin to figure out why the organizers of the event invited him to the conference in the first place. After all, Martin has been very outspoken on his views about decriminalizing marijuana use and harm reduction programs for drug users. He says he agrees with taking a hard-line approach to drug dealers, who operate in organized crime circles. But, Martin argues, by taking a harsh, punitive approach against those who simply use drugs, governments are only suppressing the underlying causes of addiction instead of addressing the problem. Martin recently saw his Private Member's Bill - calling for the decriminalization of marijuana - killed in the House of Commons by the federal Liberals at the insistence of the Prime Minister's Office. The issue gained widespread attention as Martin grabbed the ceremonial mace in the House of Commons after the Liberals prevented his Bill from being voted on. Martin said he hoped raising the issue about decriminalizing marijuana would pave the way for debate on possible solutions to the illicit drug problem in general. He has maintained society needs to look at people who are addicted to hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin as a medical problem - - not a criminal problem. He says countries, such as the Netherlands, have taken a much more progressive approach to addressing drug addiction and have experienced a reduction in crime and the spread of diseases, such as Hepatitis C, from sharing needles. Martin earlier said he would like to see the federal government adopt legislation allowing law enforcement agencies to go after profits made by criminal organizations involved in large-scale drug trafficking. "By taking away financial support for organized crime you can hurt criminal organizations effectively," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex