Pubdate: Mon, 27 Apr 2015
Source: Queensland Times, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2015 APN News & Media Ltd
Contact:  http://www.qt.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4953
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n219/a02.html

DRUG WAR 'DOESN'T FIGHT CRIME, IT FUELS CRIME'

RE EDITORIAL by Andrew Korner: Police Can't Turn Blind Eye To 
Cannabis (20/4/15).

Ice is the latest illicit drug to make headlines, but it won't be the 
last until politicians acknowledge the drug war's inherent failure.

Drug policies modelled after the United States' disastrous experiment 
with alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market.

Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors 
immune to adult sentences.

Throwing more money at the problem is no solution.

Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains 
constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking.

For addictive drugs like ice, a spike in street prices leads 
desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits.

The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

Taxing and regulating cannabis, the most popular illicit drug, is a 
cost-effective alternative to a never-ending drug war.

As long as cannabis distribution remains in the hands of organised 
crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs 
like ice. Cannabis may be relatively harmless compared to legal 
alcohol, but cannabis prohibition is deadly.

ROBERT SHARPE Policy analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom