Is there a connection between drugs and crime? One person who read last week's editorial posing that hypothesis says because The Spectator showed no empirical evidence, hard facts or interviews with experts, the conclusion that drugs and petty crime are related can't be drawn. That's fair and we apologize for making that assumption. Although it is true that possessing, selling and buying illegal drugs is . well . illegal. The Canadian Criminal Code can back that up. Every point in the editorial was discussed prior to publication with an RCMP officer in drug enforcement, with 18 years' experience in the Annapolis Valley, and he agreed about the supposed link between drugs and petty crimes. [continues 352 words]
The connection between crime and drugs is so tight that in the law enforcement community it's almost a given that a break and enter is committed for only one reason -- money for the next fix. Are drugs the motivator in every instance? That's impossible to know, but police have always made a convincing case and the closer a person is connected to law enforcement, the easier it is to believe. In the broader community, that connection between crime and drugs isn't as well recognized, partly because the majority of people are upstanding citizen who don't do drugs and don't have any idea about the power of addiction to cause people to do almost anything to sustain their habit. [continues 346 words]
