Note
"April 2001".
Copyright © 2001 by the Fraser Institute. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission of The Fraser Institute except in the case of brief passages quoted in critical articles and reviews. Users may download or print one copy for their personal use.
Introduction to the collection of papers titled "Sensible solutions to the urban drug problem", edited by Patrick Basham. These policy papers were originally presented at Fraser Institute Conferences in Vancouver, in April, 1998 and in Toronto, October 1998. The papers were revised and updated in 2001.
Summary
The authors of the papers argue that the evidence – societal, scientific, and anecdotal – shows that most of the serious problems we associate with illegal drug use are caused directly or indirectly, not by drug use itself, but by drug prohibition. It is only by separating drug use from drug prohibition that one is able to assess whether or not the harmful side effects of prohibition overwhelm the benefits of supposed lower drug consumption and the resulting lower social costs.
Conference Meeting
Fraser Institute Conference (April 1998 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Fraser Institute Conference (October 1998 : Toronto, Ont.)