Illicit Drugs: Enforcement and health approaches complementary

By Hon. David Kilgour, M.P. Edmonton Southeast
Secretary of State (Latin America & Africa)

The following article was published in the Summer 1999 issue (Vol. 3, Issue 3) of the Edmonton Bar Association Bulletin

The problem of illegal drugs in Canada has not improved despite decades of effort. In fact, in the most vulnerable young age groups, the situation has worsened considerably in recent years. While marijuana remains the illegal drug of choice, new varieties are far more potent than a generation ago. Dangerous, powerful and addictive drugs such as cocaine, heroin and various chemicals are also claiming many young victims and contributing to myriad other crimes.

Does this mean we should abandon efforts to control this problem by legal means and adopt a more permissive attitude as some are suggesting? Or, is the present approach of balancing both supply and demand reduction the right one, meaning instead that we need to redouble our efforts? In my view, a reverse course to permissiveness would be a serious mistake.

On a recent visit to an Edmonton high school, I asked students how many knew someone using illegal drugs. Virtually every hand in the room went up. This widespread use is borne out in studies of other parts of Canada. A 1997 Addiction Research Foundation survey of Ontario students found that 25 per cent of students in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13 reported using cannabis (marijuana and derivatives) in the previous year – almost double the 13 per cent reported in 1993. In grade 11, a staggering 42 per cent reported use in the prior year. Another school study of 16 to 18-year-olds found 37 to 47 per cent were current users.

Within the broader community, police and health agencies also face a growing problem; their resources are stretched beyond the limit. Edmonton Police Services seized 272,424 grams of marijuana in 1998 – up dramatically from two years earlier when the figure was 131,664. Even more alarming is the extensive use of so-called "hard drugs" such as cocaine, heroin and a number of synthetic chemical substances. Although Edmonton seizures of these did not indicate the same increase last year as cannabis, the trend towards the most dangerous drugs is increasing elsewhere across Canada. Heroin in Vancouver is increasing in quality and quantity, claiming fully a life a day from overdoses and contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS through infected needles.

In the face of such setbacks, some commentators are calling for radical changes in policy. Decriminalization or even outright legalization of some "soft" drugs such as marijuana is seen by some as the solution. The laws, we are told, are a greater problem than the drugs themselves. It is assumed that present policies are counterproductive and we therefore need a complete about face. Some even claim – outrageously – that marijuana is "harmless."

This is not deny that some changes to current legislation may be necessary. I’m personally concerned about impact of a criminal record on those convicted of minor offences who have later managed to stay drug free, although in such cases pardons are now available. A major shift towards permissiveness through legalization or decriminalization, however, would be a serious mistake. It would send the wrong signal not only to young Canadians, but also to the other nations of the hemisphere that we rely upon for concerted action against drugs.

As Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa, and also an envoy in the Canadian-launched Hemispheric Foreign Ministers Dialogue on Drugs, I’ve spoken frequently about this problem with officials in the drug producing and transhipment countries of the Americas. Increasingly there is a realization that we – the countries of the hemisphere – are all in it together, and that illicit drugs are a major problem for all of us.

The delineation between "producer" and "consumer" countries is breaking down as Latin American and Caribbean countries now experience serious consumption problems of their own, and as the North American countries themselves produce and export drugs and precursor chemicals. Despite this blurring of boundaries, we in "the North" are continually reminded by our neighbours that drugs are a demand problem as much as a supply problem. Others in the hemisphere cannot be expected to make sacrifices in the fight against supply if Canadians are not prepared to take the demand problem seriously. Permissive laws would be interpreted internationally as a lack of resolve by Canadians to control consumption.

The signal sent to younger Canadians by greater permissiveness would also be counterproductive. Admittedly, the fear of arrest is not a serious deterrent, but it is a reminder that society doesn’t tolerate drugs. Of greater influence in deterring drug use are social attitudes, peer attitudes and concerns about health. It is vital that drug use not be seen by young people as condoned by society, or accepted as "safe." Spreading the message that drugs are "not cool" requires a multi-pronged approach, including use of positive role models and health education – as well as continued prohibition.

What of the argument that we should legalize or decriminalize marijuana while cracking down on "hard" drugs? The distinction between so-called "soft" and "hard" drugs is also an artificial one that distorts the debate about legalization. As Supt. Tim Quigley of the RCMP Drug Enforcement Branch says: "All illicit drugs are truly destructive. We make no attempt to differentiate between so-called ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ drugs."

The potency of marijuana, Quigley adds, has increased dramatically from that used by baby-boomers in the 1960s. On average, marijuana is now seven times as powerful, and this does not include such potent varieties as sinsemilla, hash or hashish oil. These are up to 25 times as powerful as the marijuana consumed when today’s parents were young, though many are not aware of this increased potency.

Traffic accidents by young people under the influence of drugs is a serious problem – especially since youth are already more prone to vehicle accidents. Even a small dose of marijuana can impair drivers for 24 hours or longer – in contrast to drugs such as alcohol which pass through the body more quickly. Marijuana is stored in fat. A 1994 study of drugs as a factor in Canadian motor vehicle accidents found that marijuana and derivatives were detected in 276 drivers killed, in contrast to 112 drivers with cocaine in the blood. This is partly explained by the greater prevalence of marijuana, but it refutes well the claim that marijuana is "harmless."

Aside from the risk of motor vehicle impairment, it is believed to cause a number of other health problems such as respiratory damage, impairment of coordination, impact on unborn children, impairment of memory and thinking, decreased motivation, and alteration of hormone production, the immune system and heart function. Additionally, certain mental illnesses such as schizophrenia have been associated with marijuana use, although the exact causal link is unclear. Similarly, there are links between marijuana use and usage of other drugs, which may result from participation in the drug sub-culture where these circulate. The cannabis dependence syndrome, in which users feel compelled to continue despite adverse effects, has been well documented.

Legalization and decriminalization advocates argue that illicit drugs should be treated as a health problem rather than an enforcement problem. This wrongly suggests that it is an "either-or" proposition. In fact, Canada’s Drug Strategy, a 1998 document prepared with the involvement of a number of federal departments, calls for a balance between reducing the supply of drugs and the demand. Prevention is considered the most cost-effective approach, and there is strong emphasis on treatment and rehabilitation. Health and enforcement approaches are not mutually exclusive. Indeed arrest is often the first step in getting a drug user into a treatment program. Police increasingly see themselves not simply as enforcers, but as problem solvers required to take a public health and educational approach.

It is mistaken to assume, as many do, that enforcement targets the experimental drug user. "Enforcement’s primary focus has been, and will remain, on suppressing drug traffickers at the mid to high level, and especially those involved in organized crime," states the RCMP’s Quigley. The drug strategy also notes the importance of depriving criminals of the profits from their trade. Proceeds of crime legislation has been in place since 1989.

Seizures by Edmonton Police Services show that hydroponically-grown marijuana has become big business in our city, and during several periods police were dismantling an average of one hydroponic operation a day. Some of these operations contained more than 200 high-grade plants. Across Canada in 1998, more than a million plants were seized by different police departments, and some indoor hydroponic operations grew more than 3,000 plants. At least half the marijuana available in Canada is now grown here, and exports from Canada to the United States are increasing, especially from British Columbia. We cannot blame foreigners for this supply increase. We must clean up our own house before pointing fingers at others.

An independent discussion paper prepared in support of the Canadian-initiated Hemispheric Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue Group on Drugs calls for a holistic approach to combating drugs internationally. Treating drugs as a "human security" problem, it argues that the international drug trade has broader implications affecting governance institutions, small arms trafficking, development and trade, education and health and requiring public engagement. As such, the drug trade cannot be fought by enforcement alone, although it remains an essential element.

Canada’s Drug Strategy takes a similarly holistic approach, emphasizing public education, treatment, rehabilitation and harm reduction in addition to enforcement approaches. It emphasizes cooperation between federal/provincial/territorial governments and addictions agencies, non-governmental organizations, professional associations, law enforcement agencies, the private sector and community groups. Drugs are a problem that cannot and should not be fought by police alone, but rather by all segments of society working together.

The choices between supply reduction and demand reduction, or between enforcement and public health approaches are not mutually exclusive. A balanced approach is the "least worst" one. More follow-through on ideas in the drug strategy is needed, but not an abrupt change of course. At this point, we must not throw up our hands in surrender, but instead maintain a firm commitment to face this serious and growing threat on all fronts.