This information confirms for me the need for the needle exchange and distribution of crack pipes. We also need other support services being readily available for drug users who want to quit.

would be intersting to know what other communities were tested. All what this study confrims is that a lot more needs to be done to combat the use of drugs. The law needs to be made a lot tougher on those who sell drugs as well as the support services. Put the people who profit from the sale of drugs away for a long time. Maybe bring back the death penelty because in the long run those who are selling are contubuting to the durg users death.

Second that downnotout!
Dealers should be charged with attemped murder at the very least.
They know that what the product they sell kills and destroys lives.
If a business was selling a product that was harmfull,the government would be all over them.
Not so with drugs,so may it is true...drug money DOES flow uphill?

downnotout: And your evidence that getting tougher will help stem drug use comes from where? I lived for 3 years in a southeast asian country that had the death penalty for those selling drugs and you know what? I could get any drug I wanted at any time, no problem. The facts never get in the way of those that have an unrealistic life view, such as thinking that you can get humans to stop using drugs. Please downnotout, tell us all at what historic period and in what culture the people didn't use one drug or other? Name just one, please. Do you drink beer or wine or vodka? Do you smoke? YOU are a drug user. It just so happens that in this culture during this historic period alcohol is the accepted drug even though it does huge amounts of harm. In other cultures, such as Arab, alcohol is not accepted and one can be punished severly for it's use. Do you want to be punished with death because you indulged in a beer? Do you want the seller of that beer to be hanged? This culture continues to act in a manner that has nothing to do with being rational, logical or sane and yet expects our problems to be solved. No, use logic and truth and then our problems can be worked on. No human culture has ever NOT used some kind of chemical to alter one's perception of reality... this is the truth of thousands of years of human history.

Getting more brutal will solve nothing and only create more death and crime as gangs vie for market share, just look at Vancouver, Oakland,CA., Mexico, etc. The drug war is an abject failure and it's time to face this truth.

WWW.LEAP.CC

downnotout: And your evidence that getting tougher will help stem drug use comes from where? I lived for 3 years in a southeast asian country that had the death penalty for those selling drugs and you know what? I could get any drug I wanted at any time, no problem. The facts never get in the way of those that have an unrealistic life view, such as thinking that you can get humans to stop using drugs. Please downnotout, tell us all at what historic period and in what culture the people didn't use one drug or other? Name just one, please. Do you drink beer or wine or vodka? Do you smoke? YOU are a drug user. It just so happens that in this culture during this historic period alcohol is the accepted drug even though it does huge amounts of harm. In other cultures, such as Arab, alcohol is not accepted and one can be punished severly for it's use. Do you want to be punished with death because you indulged in a beer? Do you want the seller of that beer to be hanged? This culture continues to act in a manner that has nothing to do with being rational, logical or sane and yet expects our problems to be solved. No, use logic and truth and then our problems can be worked on. No human culture has ever NOT used some kind of chemical to alter one's perception of reality... this is the truth of thousands of years of human history.

Getting more brutal will solve nothing and only create more death and crime as gangs vie for market share, just look at Vancouver, Oakland,CA., Mexico, etc. The drug war is an abject failure and it's time to face this truth.

WWW.LEAP.CC

Ooops... sorry about the double post.

Andyfreeze: Oh my God, is your post serious? They do know of a drug that kills and destroys lives!!!! When are you folks going to touch base with some reality and truth!! ALCOHOL!! HELLO!!?

Humans have an infinite capacity to rationalize and ignore the facts when they don't fit your wants and own lifestyle. You most likely drink booze so all the death and destruction it causes is A-O-K, right? The harm alcohol causes in this country puts all other drugs to shame and yet you act as though the great evil in our culture is the other guys drug. Holy s###, humans are hopeless.

There is one underlying difference kevin...alcohol is legal....drugs ain't.
So are you saying that these slimeballs that sell crack to kids have every right to do so?
That's ok in your books because people drink beer and it's all the same?
Wait...on second thought..I'm not even going justify your ridiculous remarks with an answer.

There are also a lot more recreational alcohol users who never destroy their lives, as in: it is possible to drink responsibly. As most pot smokerswill tell you, it is possible to smoke responsibly as well. However, I dont think anyone will say that a little crack once in a while, or a little meth, or a little heroin in moderation, is ok. Or am i wrong? I just dont know any functional hard drug users.
It is time, first and formost to differentiate between hard and soft drugs when we are discussing clam downs, etc. Legal vs illegal is not a particularly strong arguement as almost everyone in Canada breaks the law on a regular basis (ie speeding) As well, laws change to reflect changing sensibilities.
While i hate the idea that we need to supply needles and crack pipes to the damn fools who want them i can see that, economically at least, it might make sense. However, it is very hard to measure the cost of the implied acceptability of hard drug use represented. Our society has worked hard giving people every manner of shirking responsibility for their own actions. In supplying them with drug paraphanalia we are sending a message that use of hard drugs is, well normal.
It also needs to be pointed out that drug use these days is on the rise. We have unprecedented levels of drug abuse here, and in other cities. Anyone over 20, with a functional memory can attest to that. Regardless of what we feel about alcohol and pot, the fact is that there is hell of a lot more drus and drug crime than there ever was. How long will this continue, how long can it do so?

As a post script, i am NOT endorsing the above arguement regarding beer or wine as equivalent to illegal drugs. Hopeles i ma be, stupid ? not so much.

Andy, don't worry about Kevin, he just wants to smoke pot 24/7 without having to worry about the 'fuzz'.

As for the shiny new needles and crack pipes, where did these users get the money to supply the drugs for them? Oh yeah, ripping off honest hard working people.