Pubdate: Thu, 18 Oct 2007 Source: Independent (UK) Copyright: 2007 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd. Contact: http://www.independent.co.uk/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/209 Author: Robert Sharpe LEGALISE DRUGS AND END THIS WASTE OF YOUNG LIVES Sir: There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalisation. Switzerland's heroin maintenance programme has been shown to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users. Providing addicts with standardised doses in a clinical setting eliminates many of the problems associated with illicit heroin use. Heroin maintenance pilot projects are under way in Canada, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. If expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organised crime of a core client base. This would render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations addiction. Cannabis should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, only without the ubiquitous advertising. Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. As long as cannabis distribution remains in the hands of organised crime, consumers of the most popular illicit drug will continue to come into contact with sellers of cocaine and heroin. Given that cannabis is arguably safer than alcohol, it makes no sense to waste scarce resources on failed drug policies that finance organised crime and facilitate the use of hard drugs. Robert Sharpe Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington, DC - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake