Pubdate: Tue, 29 Aug 2006
Source: Abbotsford News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Hacker Press Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.abbynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1155
Author: Robert Sharpe
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)

U.S. EXPORTING 'DANGEROUS MORAL CRUSADE'

Editor, The News;

Thank you for making the public health case for Vancouver's safe 
injection site in your Aug. 24 editorial. 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. The United States provides tragic examples of anti-drug 
strategies that are best avoided.

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. Canada 
cannot afford to emulate the harm maximization drug policies of the 
former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated.

Robert Sharpe, Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy 
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman