Pubdate: Wed, 03 Oct 2007 Source: National Post (Canada) http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/editorialsletters/story.html?id=aa007684-6a7c-41ef-acb1-9257a76f2174 Copyright: 2007 Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.nationalpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286 Author: Lorne Gunter Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) A BETTER WAY TO FIGHT THE DRUG WAR It's not often I find myself at odds with the police, particularly on law and order issues. But on the Conservative government's new anti-drug strategy, expected out this week, I'm afraid I cannot share the official sunny assessment of the Canadian Police Association (CPA). On Sunday, following a Parliament Hill ceremony honouring fallen officers, Tony Cannavino, the CPA president, called the government's plan -- many aspects of which have already been widely leaked -- "a cornerstone" that should help curb the violence that has accompanied Canada's expanding drug trade. I hope he's right, but instead, I suspect he is guilty of wishful thinking. There is every indication that the Tories' plan will lead to an obsession with arresting individual users, and rely too heavily on persuading addicts to kick their habit. In other words, it will focus on winning the war on drugs by attacking the demand side. Reduce the number of users, the theory goes, and the drug kingpins, smugglers and pushers will have no one to sell to. The drug trade will become unprofitable and they will quit it. Such an approach is destined to fail. There is no doubt we need to attack the underground drug trade. Drugs and drug dealing are behind much of Canada's high-profile crime -- including most street shootings. Still, unless the Tories' scheme is substantially smarter than the Americans' war on drugs, it cannot expect to be any more effective. While U.S. drug enforcement efforts initially concentrated on large-scale producers and dealers, police forces soon found it easier to generate impressive arrest statistics by rounding up casual users and individual addicts, which has done little to curb demand or quell violence. There are already some discouraging signs in the leaked details of our new federal plan that hint we will end up on the same path. For instance, the $64-million in new annual funding is far too small a sum, and it is directed mostly to the wrong priorities. Last spring's budget suggested it would be split 15% for prevention, 50% for treatment of drug addicts and 35% for police resources to arrest dealers and drug producers. Since nearly all the violence associated with the drug trade stems from turf wars between syndicates and gangs over who may make or sell drugs in which neighbourhoods, too little of this new money would appear to be earmarked to help police. All of it probably would not be enough to counter the well-armed, highly organized criminal networks that control much of our nation's drug trade. And since the hundreds of millions already spent by Canadian governments has done little to stem user demand for drugs, the 65% aimed at individuals may well be wasted. Rather than declare that there are "no safe drugs," as Health Minister Tony Clement is expected to do when the anti-drug campaign is launched, the government should consider accepting that -- for good or bad -- drug use is a personal choice. As such, there is little it can do to prevent it. But given that it is a personal choice, society has little obligation to pay for the consequences of misuse. Legalize most drugs, but also declare no welfare for addicts. Let private charities supply relief and health care for those who abuse drugs. That would at least compel some users to confront the economic costs of their choices and might -- might -- discourage more Canadians from taking drugs than any preachy government advertising campaign or assault on casual drug use.