Pubdate: Sat, 26 Jan 2013
Source: Nanaimo News Bulletin (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 John Anderson
Contact:  http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/948
Author: John Anderson

SEIZURE OF DRUGS WON'T HAVE IMPACT ON SUPPLY OF PRODUCT

To the Editor,

Re: Police seize cocaine, cash in drug arrest, Jan 17.

The recent seizure of drugs and weapons by Nanaimo RCMP does nothing
to disrupt supply and won't prevent more illicit drugs from entering
the city.

The largest drug seizure in Canadian history took place in 2000 when
100 kilograms of heroin was confiscated in Vancouver's port.

Subsequent research published in the Canadian Medical Association
Journal in 2003 showed that contrary to law enforcement predictions,
the price of heroin actually dropped in Vancouver. A seizure of this
magnitude had no impact on supply.

Furthermore, the B.C. Coroner reported the number of deaths
attributable to heroin overdoses increased three months after the bust.

As a former correctional officer in a maximum security prison, I
witnessed drug use and near-fatal drug overdoses in the most
restrictive environment which the law allowed. It's hardly surprising
that drug trafficking flourishes in open society where our misguided
laws created and now sustain a black market.

The utter failure of Canada's drug prohibitionist policies to support
health and safety is painfully repeated by the federal government's
willful blindness to decades of impartial research. It is prohibition
and not the drugs themselves which place the police and public at risk.

If we want to stop people from using deadly drugs, we should heed the
successful regulatory and educational efforts by Health Canada to
convince young people not to smoke tobacco.

A much smaller proportion of youth are smoking today than 30 years ago
- - all without putting a single person in jail.

John Anderson

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Nanaimo
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D