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Canada takes a LEAP forward in drug reform advocacy

Frontline drug warriors are losing faith in prohibition. Are there any true believers left?

Matthew Johnston - August 14, 2008

“I have no doubt, and indeed it was probably a consensus amongst many officers, that the only reason for many of the [marijuana] arrests were personal, such as the overtime pay for court appearances, which could exceed regular wages,” said Smith.

Shortly after joining the police force, Smith was assigned to the Car 86 program, in which officers collaborated with social workers to aid families in need of intervention. During this assignment, Smith observed that domestic violence or extremely hostile behaviour was normally accompanied by alcohol, and not illegal drugs.

Smith was later assigned to the Pawnshop Squad where he noticed that almost all the merchandise in pawnshops was stolen -- and stolen primarily by addicts who would quickly take their money to drug dealers waiting just outside the doors. The necessity to steal to feed an artificially expensive drug habit means “a $200 dollar a day habit cost the public at least $2,000 in thefts,” according to Smith.

But as an investigating officer in numerous drug-overdose deaths, Smith witnessed the devastating human cost of the war on drugs. “Having always been cast as criminals by society, [the addicts] never had a chance to escape. I’m sure their drug suppliers had no motivation to get them help as their addiction progressed. But maybe if the drugs had been medically prescribed, counselling would have been available,” said Smith.

Prescribing drugs to addicts is part of a “harm reduction” philosophy often favoured by medical practitioners to outright legalization. For instance, under the supervision of medical practitioners, a harm reduction program would allow addicts to get access to drugs of a consistent purity, preventing overdoses – and access to clean needles to prevent the contraction and spread of HIV and hepatitis. Prohibition makes this impossible.

Based on his 28 years of service, Smith’s greatest concern with the war on drugs, however, is the enormous amount of money pouring into criminal organizations because of prohibition. “It would be interesting to track the millions of dollars contributed to political campaigns from these sources,” he says. Is it possible that organized crime prefers the drug war “surge” strategy of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservatives to a more liberal approach to drug policy? Could a plan to decriminalize drugs put organized crime in the poor house? Smith seems to thinks so.

The US war on drugs has had a negative global impact as well, according to Smith, who has travel extensively. “The approach of the DEA in Central and South America is turning those regions strongly against the US,” he says. “Just look at the recent elections in Bolivia and US relations with Venezuela. Mexico is in an even worse state,” said Smith.

He also argues that it is the drug habits of wealthy westerners that is creating much of the drug war violence in developing nations. “The government has no control, while drugs pay the bills for so many. And who fuels the market? The addicts in Canada and the US,” Smith concluded.

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