Harper government (Canada) to unveil get-tough national drug strategy

[Newsjock]

Source: Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Health Minister Tony Clement will announce the Conservative government's anti-drug strategy this week with a stark warning: "the party's over" for illicit drug users.

... Shortly after taking office early last year, the Conservatives decided not to go ahead with a Liberal bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.

Since then, the number of people arrested for smoking pot has jumped dramatically in several Canadian cities, in some cases jumping by more than one third.

Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Halifax all reported increases of between 20 and 50 per cent in 2006 of arrests for possession of cannabis, compared with the previous year.

As a result thousands of people were charged with a criminal offence that, under the previous Liberal government, was on the verge of being classified as a misdemeanour.

... Vancouver's Insite safe injection clinic is facing a December 31 deadline for the renewal of a federal exemption that allows it to operate.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070929.wharperdrug0929/BNStory/National/home

[Kagemusha]

1. I agree with the doctor quoted at the end of this article...

"By all means, go after the pushers." And IMHO, to the extent that this anti-drug strategy is an anti-marijuana strategy, it's more of the old loudmouthed gimmicks and a waste of money.

[Bozita]

2. How long til "the party's over" refers to the Harper govt?

Maybe sooner than we think.

[Harper_is_Bush]

3. Who cares what the rightwing fuck-job is doing?

No offense, I know you're just the messanger, but seriously.

He's a global warming denier who's now out there pretending he's concerned and setting up obstacles to the UN.

Screw him.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

4. I would tell you Canadians won't stand for it, but...

Canadians don't seem to give a fuck about very much unless it is related to cell phone, ipod or xbox prices.

[arikara]

5. Oh sweet Jesus...

he's getting more like Bush every day.

[Harper_is_Bush]

6. He IS Bush!

:)

[ClintonTyree]

7. Because that "get tough", "war on drugs" strategy....

has worked SO WELL in the U.S. :eyes: I hope Canadians are prepared to build scores of new prisons to hold all of these *vicious criminals*.
Seems to me that Canada's biggest "dope" problem is Harper himself. I sincerely hope that Canada isn't set on a course to become U.S.A. "lite".

[provis99]

8. Harper wants to privatize prisons

He thinks the Americans have the right idea on just about everything.

[meow2u3]

11. Conservos get a kick out of seeing people brutalized

Poor people and those outside their own race being beaten and tortured with impunity; women being raped without any consequences for the rapist; etc.

It's not a crime when WE commit it -- so says the guy in charge, according to conservatives.

[Jackpine Radical]

13. Well, the majority of us finally seem to have the right idea on one thing.

The need to get rid of our shithead, wingnut so-called "leader." That's the one thing the Canucks could stand to learn from us. Ditch the bastard while it's still possible.

[skids]

9. To Canada's Future Inmates...

...break out the piss jars, Harper's car need washing. And watch out for those shit-hawks.

[kedrys]

10. Oh fuck

We're trying to engineer our escape to Canada, and the tamer pot laws have quite a bit to do with it. I really don't need to hear this shite. :mad: :grr:

[Jackpine Radical]

12. Wot da Phucque is wrong wit dose people up dere, hey?

I mean, it's always given me no small comfort to think of that large expanse of underpopulated, frozen sanity just across the lake to the north. And now they're doing shit like this. First Harper, now the drug policies. What the shit, has Karl Rove been moonlighting up there lately or something?

[rodeodance]

14. Canada needs to look at the US prison population for LESSON (of course the US

has NOT learned the lesson either)!!

[tabasco]

15. Yes! Get those dangerous marijuana smokers into prisons!

More power to the police state and lots more jobs for the prison industry!!

Yaaaayy!!





(how did this dipshit get into power in Canada, a normally rational place?)

[JBoy]

16. Yes, close that safe injection site.

"The party's over". Because everyone knows life on the streets in Vancouver's downtown eastside is one big fucking party.

[Zhade]

17. Fucking fascist. Marijuana is a beneficial plant that helps millions.

ASSHOLES.

[depakid]

18. That's just brilliant- follow dysfunctional US policy

and abandon the sorts of things that have made Canada such a success.

What is it about conservatives? Are they just hardwired stupid?

[TrogL]

19. Typical conservative thinking

I just bet they're gonna shut down the safe injection clinic.

Conservatives live in their little ivory tower world where everybody's perfect and if you're not perfect you should just die or something.

Unfortunately, the rest of us live in the real world.

In the real world:

Some people are addicted to drugs.
Drug addicts will not give up drugs until they're ready, maybe never.
In the meantime, dirty needles are spreading disease everywhere including outside the drug community.
Hence, it makes a certain amount of sense to provide clean needles. While doing so is the perfect opportunity to provide counselling to perhaps get an addict to quit.