[DIV id=headline] [H2]Storm brews over drug strategy[/H2] [H3 id=deck]Ottawa putting too much emphasis on law enforcement, medical experts' report says[/H3]
Vancouver, Ottawa- Globe and Mail- [A href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070115.DRUGSB15/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia/"]The federal investment in the war on drugs has been an abject failure, according to a report to be published today.[/A]
[A href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070115.DRUGSB15/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia/"]Canada's drug strategy, renewed with much fanfare in 2003, has put too much emphasis on law enforcement instead of on means to combat illicit drug use and minimize its human toll, says the report that is to appear in the HIV/AIDS Policy and Law Review.[/A]
[!-- /Summary --] [A href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070115.DRUGSB15/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia/"]The criticism appears unlikely to sway the federal Conservative government from its intention, confirmed by a Health Department spokesman, to tilt the strategy even further toward pure law-enforcement measures.[/A]
[A href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070115.DRUGSB15/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia/"]The study, which found that critical programs in prevention, treatment and research are being underfunded, comes five years after Canada's Auditor-General issued a scathing report that said the country's drug strategy focused too heavily on enforcement and needed a more "balanced approach."[/A]
