Gang Violence and Drug Legislation

It is a sad week in BC where automatic weapons and the economy of illegal drugs expose us to the kind of behavior we normally associate with struggling countries and challenged communities.  On Sunday we had a fatal shooting committed with automatic weapons in our fair and kind province.

With gang violence and the drug economy related to deaths, what are the challenges our communities face?  Why do we have these killings?  Where is our community going to go if we don’t address the root causes of these activities?

Many of our leaders will blame drug users for the problem here because they fund these illegal activities. But for there to be so much drug consumption, maybe more people than we imagine are to blame.  If as a society we are going to choose to consume drugs then we need to regulate and tax these consumables like we do alcohol. We know alcohol can be a very bad force on our street, in our homes and especially in our health care system, yet many of us continue to drink.

For many years the Green Party has been calling for sensible drug reform.  It’s sad that yet another death fueled by gang violence and the illegal and lucrative illegal drug trade makes us call for this again. Let's please put an end to extortion, prostitution and the weapons trade by taxing and regulating drug use on a footing equal to alcohol and tobacco.

Jane Sterk, Leader

Published in and (C) Vancouver Sun, 17th August 2011