Chasing The War On Drugs

Harper and his cabinet minsters have been quietly liaising with U.S. officials since before June. The ministers have been consulting them regarding their drug policy with an eye to developing a version of it for Canada. Right. Because it's widely acknowledged that the American style War On Drugs is the model of success? Oh right, that's a load of crap. The American War On Drugs is laughable and at best only marginally successful - and even then, only in spite of itself. This plan of course runs totally counter to the extremely successful programs being run in Europe where the drug problem is categorized more as a health issue than a criminal or 'moral' problem. Not only that, but the European model favours a harm reduction approach whereas the U.S. and Federal Conservatives' style is more along the lines of being an asshole and seeing how far that gets you.

Currently evidence shows that the European model more effective by leaps and bounds over the hard edged American style where there is no good evidence to support the approach. Which makes it all the more frustrating that the current government plans to unveil it's revised American-style National drug strategy next year.

After new drug action plan is unveiled, the Conservatives want to send diplomats "to do outreach with the U.S. and our like-minded countries." Since when are we a "like-minded country" Harper? The most recent indication that this country is not behind Harper and U.S. on this matter came in the form of national polls and protests over the Conservative government's plan to shut down the supervised injection site in Vancouver (Insite) that follows the ideal of the European harm reduction model. The Conservatives wanted it shut down (as would an American drug policy analyst), but the public, opposition governments, NGOs, health organizations and law enforcement agencies across Canada all lobbied the government to keep the doors of the safe injection site open. Insite won a few months reprieve, but the Conservatives plan to attack it early next next year - flying the face of public will once again.

Canada is not one of Harper's and America's so-called 'like-minded countries', but is our government listening? Do they know who they represent? So they even care anymore? I'm afraid the people's power is waning and they don't even realize it.


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