Pubdate: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2009 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: David Bratzer Note: David Bratzer is a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (www.leap.cc) and a police officer in British Columbia. The opinions expressed in this article are entirely his own. LEGALIZE AND REGULATE DRUG USE I am a police officer who supports incremental change toward the legalization and regulation of all drugs. This includes marijuana, heroin, cocaine and other substances. I do not condone drug abuse, nor breaking the law. But some laws are counterproductive and in this respect it is time for an honest discussion about Canada's drug laws. Drug prohibition is an important domestic and foreign policy issue because its effects are so varied and far-reaching. For example, international forces are spending enormous sums of money to destroy the poppy fields of Afghani farmers. Yet destroying some fields only serves to increase the black market value of the remaining crops. This increases the domestic price of heroin, resulting in addicts who break into our cars and homes in order to pay for the exorbitant costs of their daily fix. Insite, Vancouver's supervised injection site, and various needle exchange programs reduce the harm caused by injection drug use. These programs generate controversy but critics fail to realize they are half measures. Handing out free needles does not address the larger problems caused by drug prohibition. Clients of these facilities still purchase illegal drugs of unknown purity from violent drug dealers at inflated prices. In addition, many addicts pay for their drugs through a combination of petty crime and social assistance money. For those who believe that "funding" drug addiction would send the wrong message, rest assured: you're already paying for it. Legalization does not mean that a person who commits a violent offence while high on drugs will escape punishment. Offenders who steal or cause harm to others should always face consequences, regardless of whether they are high, drunk or sober. The point is that the unintended consequences of drug prohibition cause far more serious harm than drugs themselves. These consequences include public disorder, backlogged courts, high property crime rates, organized crime and gang violence over control of the drug trade. These costs are not worth an absolute prohibition on drug use in our society. A better approach would be to treat drug abuse as a public health problem rather than as a criminal justice problem. It is time for medical facilities that cover the full spectrum of harm reduction, including regulated access to heroin and cocaine. Enforcement would not be part of this health-care solution. Officers would be left free to focus on areas that have long been underfunded (youth crime, domestic violence, child pornography and white collar crime come to mind). And keeping non-violent drug addicts out of jail would leave more room for the long-term incarceration of truly dangerous criminals. Some might view this approach as the wishful thinking of the far left. The truth is that ending drug prohibition is not a left-or right-wing issue. Many conservatives have supported drug policy reform, including an American icon, William F. Buckley Jr. Addressing a panel of lawyers regarding the "war on drugs," he recommended they "proceed to recommend the legalization of the sale of most drugs, except to minors." While Buckley wanted to permit the sale of "most drugs," that might not be the right approach for Canada. Fortunately, there are a range of options available within a regulatory framework. Each drug has unique properties so it makes sense to regulate each one differently. Perhaps some drugs could be taxed and sold like tobacco and alcohol. Others could be prescribed in maintenance doses by doctors and then consumed by addicts at monitored sites (this is the model used for heroin addicts in Switzerland). These changes need to be made slowly, with a strong focus on evidence-based policies. But first we need to have this discussion. We need to admit that what we're doing is not working and embrace the concept of legalization, to better serve and protect citizens across Canada.