Pubdate: Wed, 16 Jul 2008
Source: Korea Times (South Korea)
Copyright: 2008 Korea Times
Contact:  http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/916
Author: Robert Sharpe

ABOUT DRUG POLICY REFORM

Dear editor,

The U.S. drug war is a cure worse than the disease. Attempts to limit 
the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only 
increase the profitability of drug trafficking.

For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads 
desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed their 
desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

Drug prohibition finances organized crime at home and terrorism 
abroad, which is then used to justify more drug war spending.

There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and 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. Heroin 
maintenance pilot projects are underway 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 (cannabis) 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 is controlled by organized crime, 
consumers of the most popular illicit drug will continue to come into 
contact with sellers of hard drugs like cocaine and heroin.

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 hard drug use.

Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like 
to think that the children are more important than the message.

For information on the efficacy of heroin maintenance please read the 
following British Medical Journal report: 
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/327/7410/310

To learn more about Canada's heroin maintenance research please 
visit: http://www.naomistudy.ca/.

Robert Sharpe Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, 
D.C., the U.S.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart