DRUG TASK FORCE IS USING THE WRONG APPROACH, SAYS PROFESSOR

A member of Richmond's task force on drugs and crime says from a
public health perspective, the five pillar approach it's using is wrong.

As far as foundations go, Richard Mathias said, the pillars are about
as strong as matchsticks.

Richmond council approved Monday the draft for a one-year work plan
that aims to develop a series of locally-oriented goals to approach
the issues of drugs and the crime that often accompanies it, and
develop a model for interagency co-operation. The idea of
co-ordinating local agencies is the fifth pillar that was added to the
four pillar model used in Vancouver, which includes education and
prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement.

Mathias, a Richmond resident and a health professor at University of
B.C., said it's wrong to assume the long-held tradition of
criminalization and enforcement is part of solving the drug problems.
In fact, he said, it exacerbates crime and health problems associated
with drug use.

"If the goal is to prevent use, we're probably going about it the
right way," said Mathias, who says he looks at the issue strictly from
a public health perspective. "But what we should be doing is targeting
abuse and dependency."

And the way to do that, he says, is clear: legalize and
regulate.

"When I look at drugs from a public health perspective, much of the
harm I see is because of the sanctions we put around them," he said.
"Much of the (damaging) social spinoff of drugs is because it's illegal."

Drug traffickers are rewarded for making their products more potent
because smaller products are easier to smuggle and more profitable by
weight. Legalization and regulation could control the potency of the
drugs available and take them out of the hands of drug dealers, who
have no concern for the lives of people addicted, Mathias said.

RCMP Insp. Al Speevak says history shows the risks of legalization are
too great to consider.

"If you look at China when opium was initially made legal...the whole
fabric of society started to crumble,"said Speevak, who is also a
member of the task force. "That is the risk side of what (Mathias) is
proposing. The risks are just so great of tremendously higher social
cost."

The inspector said legalization and regulation have done little to
reduce the harm and social costs of drugs like alcohol and tobacco.

But Matthias said legalization would remove the taboo that attracts
many young people to drugs, he said.

"I don't think usage will increase one bit. As a matter of fact, I
think it will drop," he said.

Coun. Malcolm Brodie also has concerns about the Drugs and Crime Task
Force's focus.

He said the task force is looking at a lot of issues that step beyond
the scope of the immediate community, and the $180,000 being spent in
year one could be used more effectively.

"What we should be focusing on is the treatment we can get for people
who are unwell," said Brodie, who registered the only vote against the
one-year plan Monday. "If we acknowledge a link between crime and
drugs-let's work with the various groups in the community to make
people feel safer in our community."

He said there could be more work done to reduce the number of
break-ins at local homes and businesses.

The councillor said casino money could be used to immediately
implement strategies rather than have more discussions.

"You could take even a portion of these resources and provide
strategies to make people feel safer, rather than focusing on a
study," he said.

He suggested the money could go into more police or a stronger
community policing presence.