Pubdate: Wed, 15 Apr 2009
Source: Goldstream Gazette (Victoria, CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Black Press
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/vvfJCciY
Website: http://www.goldstreamgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1291
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n402/a10.html

POT LAWS NEED DISTANCE FROM HARD DRUGS

Re: Debate needed on drug laws, Our View, April 8, 2009.

There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization.

Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce 
disease, death and crime among chronic users. Providing addicts with 
standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many of the 
problems associated with heroin use.

The success of the Swiss heroin maintenance program has inspired 
pilot programs in Canada, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. If 
expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized 
crime of a core client base.

This would render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare 
future generations addiction.

Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, only without 
the ubiquitous advertising. Separating the hard and soft drug markets 
is critical.

As long as marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized 
crime, consumers of the most popular illicit drug will continue to 
come into contact with sellers of hard drugs such as cocaine.

Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal alcohol, it makes 
no sense to waste scarce resources on failed policies that finance 
organized crime and facilitate the use of hard drugs. Drug policy 
reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to think 
the children are more important than the message.

For information on the efficacy of heroin maintenance please read the 
following British Medical Journal report: 
www.bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/327/7410/310 . To learn more 
about heroin maintenance research in Canada please visit: www.naomistudy.ca .

Robert Sharpe Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, DC
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom