PROHIBITION STILL DOES NOT WORK

Squamish - Prohibition did not work in the 1920s, so why would we
expect different results in 2009? Banning substances, declaring war
on drugs, punishing and scolding "bad" people who partake do not
work. Proof of that is everywhere.

For psychoactive drugs - for example alcohol, painkillers, marijuana,
cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine and heroin - prohibition does not
work. The effects of prohibition are widespread, affecting
individuals, families and communities.

For the individual there are health effects including overdose,
death, HIV and more. There is violence from other users and dealers,
entry into the sex trade to finance addictions and involvement in
other criminal activities. Families are damaged by parents' inability
to care for their children and holding down a steady job or
sustaining relationships is increasingly difficult as more and more
time is spent on searching for drugs and money.

At the community level we get underground labs producing hazardous
productions, drug trade violence and related crime. A black market
and the profits it generates fuels organized crime. On a higher
level, we also see a lack of respect for laws and other people. And
on a societal level, there is the opportunity cost of using public
funds for the so-called war on drugs instead of helping people.

Prohibition is obviously not the solution. What is?

The Health Officers Council of BC (HOC) is proposing a change to the
current, failed, approach of prohibition. Specifically, they have
asked the Prime Minister of Canada to "take the lead role in
initiating a national public discussion that moves toward the
development and implementation of a system of regulation and control
of currently illegal substances within a framework of public health
and human rights."

Yes, an end to prohibition. A century of prohibition in Canada has
not only failed to curtail the illegal drug market and reduce access
to illicit substances, it has contributed significantly to increasing
the harms related to drug use including health effects, public
disorder and the entrenchment of criminal organizations in the
illegal drug trade. The HOC believes that committing further public
resources "to such an obviously flawed policy is not in the public
interest. Alternative approaches that are more cost effective and
provide maximum economic and social benefit should be explored."

The end of prohibition is also being put forward by the Beyond
Prohibition Coalition. Members include former Vancouver mayor Philip
Owen, Libby Davies (MP, Vancouver East), the BC Civil Liberties
Association and others. They believe that focus should be on helping
people, not criminalizing them.

They believe that Canada's approach to illegal drugs should be
improving access to treatment programs for those with addictions.
They propose to end prohibition in order to protect citizens from the
harmful effects of the illegal drug trade and drug use; to promote
better use of public resources; and to reduce public disorder and
minimize the involvement of organized crime in drug trafficking.

Prohibition did not work in 1920. It is no better a solution today.