Pubdate: Fri, 20 Oct 2006 Source: Kamloops Daily News (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 Kamloops Daily News Contact: http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/679 Author: Robert Sharpe Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction) HARM REDUCTION? OR HARM MAXIMIZATION? Does moving drug houses from one Kamloops neighborhood to the next constitute drug war victory? Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of trafficking. 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 neighbour 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. Center for Disease Control researchers estimate that 57 percent of AIDS cases among women and 36 percent 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 Washington, DC - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman