|
Ø The lack of any real national
platform for discussion and debate on illegal drugs prevents the development
of clear objectives and measurement indicators.
Ø The absence of a national platform
makes exchange of information and best practices impossible.
Ø Practices and approaches vary
considerably between and within provinces and territories.
Ø The conflicting approaches of the
various players in the field are a source of confusion.
Ø The resources and powers for
enforcement are greatly out of
balance compared with those of the health and education fields and the civil
society.
Ø The costs of all illegal drugs had
risen to close to $1.4 billion
in 1992.
Ø Of the total costs of illegal
drugs at that time, externalities (social costs) represented 67% and public
policy costs 33%.
Ø We believe both the social costs
of illegal drugs and the public policy costs to be underestimated.
Ø We estimate the cost of enforcing
the drug laws to be closer to $1-1.5 billion per annum.
Ø The principal public policy cost
relative to cannabis is law enforcement and the justice system; we estimate
this to represent a total of $300-$500 million per annum.
Ø The costs of externalities
attributable to cannabis are probably minimal (no deaths, few
hospitalizations, and very little loss of productivity).
Ø The costs of public policy on
cannabis are disproportionately high given the drug’s social and health
consequences.
Ø The Canadian Centre on Substance
Abuse is seriously under-funded; its annual budget amounts to barely 0.1% of
the social costs of illegal drugs alone (alcohol not included). Its budget should be increased to at least
1%; that is, approximately $15 million per annum.
|
