PROHIBITION DEADLY

Dear Editor:

I hope Canadian taxpayers didn't spend too much on the Canadian Centre on
Substance Abuse study mentioned in your May 1 article. That alcohol is the
drug most often associated with violent behaviour is well established. The
United States tried prohibiting alcohol once, with disastrous results.
Organized crime flourished and kids had easier access to alcohol than ever,
once unscrupulous mobsters took over the distribution.

The lessons learned and their relevance to the drug war are lost on today's
policy-makers. Forcibly limiting the supply of illegal drugs while demand
remains constant only increases the profitability of trafficking. In terms
of addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads addicts to
increase criminal activity to feed habits.

Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a
cost-effective alternative to a never-ending drug war. There is a big
difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from
drugs. Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana use
and frees users from the stigma of life-shattering criminal records.

Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. Marijuana may be
relatively harmless compared to legal alcohol, but marijuana prohibition is
deadly. As long as marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized
crime, consumers will come in contact with hard drugs like cocaine.

Robert Sharpe,

MPA, program officer, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C.