Dear editor,
Regarding Phil Harrison’s letter of Wednesday, May 26 stating that decriminalization of drugs is not the solution to the problem I would point out that decriminalization is not legalization.
RELATED: Decriminalizing drugs is not the solution to the problem
I would urge anyone even peripherally interested in this topic to direct their attention to the multiple scholarly deep dives available via the internet on how Portugal handled its drug abuse issues.
Secondly, I highly recommend a book, Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari. Part Gonzo journalism, part standup comedy, part Mark Twain storytelling, it is at its core a very well researched and presented overview of how we got to where we are and what some have done about it.
After all, Phil’s solution, that of incarceration, has worked so well over these past decades. My entire life actually, 70 years. No need to even talk about something new, incarceration will actually work any day now!
Glenn Countryman
Comox.