Pubdate: Mon, 26 Mar 2007
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2007 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact:  http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n371/a08.html
Author: Bill Martin
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

VULNERABLE WOMEN TARGETED

I appreciated Neal Boyd's column Rethinking the trade in sex and 
drugs, March 23. I have struggled with trying to find the best 
approach to the problems of prostitution and drugs, and found Boyd's 
concepts of "tiers of risk" sensible.

It had not occurred to me that women who work the sex trade in 
massage parlours have a vastly better life than those who work the 
streets. Yet our present system predominantly targets those who are 
the most vulnerable, the street workers, and criminalizes them. It 
would make good sense to change our tactics and priorize the use of 
public resources to devise supports for street workers that are as 
effective as the ones for those who work in massage parlours.

Similarly, it seems foolish to place a high enforcement priority on 
catching people who use or deal in cannabis. Our current cannabis 
policy, similar to the old policy of prohibition of alcohol, simply 
lines the pockets of organized crime. To paraphrase an old political 
slogan, what we have now is "corporate welfare for criminals." In 
other words, government is subsidizing crime. And carefully regulated 
access for addicts to drugs such as crack and crystal meth would 
ensure that drug-addicted prostitutes and other unfortunates do not 
have to take to the streets to find the money for their next fix.

Bill Martin

Gimli
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman