Pubdate: Wed, 14 Oct 2015
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n574/a10.html
Author: Richard Elliott
Page: A14

ENDING A FAILED 'WAR ON DRUGS'

Re Legalize it, and Trudeau will supervise it, Oct. 8 In his otherwise
excellent column on the modern-day "reefer madness" being peddled by
the government during this election, Martin Regg Cohn suggests that
the NDP has only called for decriminalizing marijuana but that the
Liberal party has committed to going the further step of legalizing
and regulating the substance.

In fact, last year, both the NDP and the Liberal party went on record,
in a House of Commons committee report, as calling for not just
decriminalization of cannabis but moving to regulation - an approach
increasingly recommended by public health experts, and with which a
growing number of jurisdictions are experimenting, with successful
results.

In fact, we have recently queried all the major federal political
parties about their positions on a number of important reforms needed
to Canada's current misguided "war on drugs" that has only intensified
in recent years - including their position regarding how to approach
cannabis. Their responses will be released this week, and should
provide useful information for voters concerned about ensuring that
public policy is based on evidence as well as concern for public
health, the public purse and the protection of civil liberties.

All the parties that have responded so far have indicated they support
shifting away from the failed model of prohibition. After decades of
failure, it's time to try new approaches.

Richard Elliott, executive director, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
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MAP posted-by: Matt