Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jun 2005
Source: Salmon Arm Observer (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 Salmon Arm Observer
Contact:  http://www.saobserver.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1407
Author: Robert Sharpe
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n949/a07.html

CANADA SHOULD FOLLOW OWN RULES

Your June 8 editorial made the common mistake of confusing 
drug-related crime with prohibition-related crime. For addictive 
drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts 
to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war 
doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. The good news is that Canada has 
already adopted many of the common sense harm-reduction interventions 
first pioneered in Europe. The bad news is that Canada's southern 
neighbor continues to use its superpower status to export a dangerous 
moral crusade around the globe. U.S. Centers for Disease Control 
researchers estimate that 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 
laws that restrict access to clean syringes. Can Canada afford to 
emulate the harm maximization drug policies of the former land of the 
free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated?

Robert Sharpe
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MAP posted-by: Beth