As these examples show, European cities where harm reduction measures have been implemented have proven that such policies and programs are successful at reducing overall harms to society from drug use. Amsterdam officials have estimated that they are saving $40.00US per person with harm reduction measures. In every city and country where harm reduction policies have been adopted, property crime rates have dropped dramatically, health costs have been reduced and prison overcrowding has been lessened (VANDU ND). It is believed that heroin maintenance would take away the main reasons to commit crimes to support drug use. This would also dramatically reduce the cost of policing, court services and prison costs (VANDU ND).

CONCLUSION

Canada has turned hundreds of thousands of people into criminals for the possession of illegal drugs. "Incarcerating people unnecessarily, and all the other costs of the criminal justice system, is a financial burden that the economy cannot afford, quite apart from the numerous other problems attendant on such an over reliance on (or addiction to) criminalization as a ‘solution’ to the drug ‘problem’" (Riley 1998:2). Meanwhile the real problems are related to poverty, unemployment, social dislocation in high risk populations, and racism. These issues attract limited resources and attention. Instead, resources are directed disproportionately at enforcement of drug laws (Riley 1998).

Goldstein's tripartite theory on the drugs/violence nexus outlines how drugs and violence are related. I argued that this framework could be used to link Canada's prohibitionist drug laws and crime rates while adding an additional relationship entitled “decriminalization of drug users.” The psychopharmacological connection that Goldstein makes to drugs and violence can be discredited by the fact that studies have almost always focused on drug users who have already come into contact with the law. The majority of drug users and alcohol users are not involved with the criminal justice system. Although there is a reported connection between alcohol, drug use and some forms of violence, the links are more related to anti-drug laws than they are to drug use. They are largely about adding fuel to an already burning fire.

The economically compulsive theory can be directly linked to prohibitionist drug laws and the high cost of illicit drugs. Drug users who are dependant on expensive drugs often commit gainful crimes such as prostitution, petty crimes, property crimes and theft. The use of harm reduction measures within many European countries such as the Netherlands, UK, and Switzerland has been proven to reduce crime rates significantly. It is therefore not drug use which creates crime but the prohibition of drugs that create the problem. Thus, one can conclude that crimes associated with illicit drugs are directly linked to the enforcement of prohibitionist drug laws.

Goldstein's (1985) last link between crime and drugs, which he terms the systemic, involves violent crimes associated with the drug trade and organized crime. Due to the fact that drugs are illegal, dealers, traffickers and users have no means of settling business disputes legally. This leads to people using extra-legal form of “justice.” By decriminalizing or legalizing drugs this situation would change dramatically. There will always be some form of organized crime, however, the violence and crime associated with illicit drugs would be lessened because drug users in need would be able to access drugs more easily, safely and legally. Finally, the decriminalization of drug users would seriously lessen the load on the criminal justice system because it would no longer be considered a crime to use drugs. We can see by the statistics in Canada that of over 90,000 drug related incidents, 50% involved the possession of cannabis. Canada's prohibitionist drug laws have been a serious disservice to Canadians. In contrast to the perspective put forward by enforcement interests in Canada, it appears as though drugs are dangerous mostly because they are illegal.