A MORAL ANALYSIS OF CANADIAN DRUG POLICY

Jeff Packer
The John Howard Society of Durham Region

INTRODUCTION

Spending the last ten months exploring the waters of Canadian drug policy was both an exciting and disheartening voyage. Initially, I had to examine my core beliefs and opinions about right and wrong or good and bad behaviour. Long-standing perceptions about various drugs, drug use/misuse and about drug users all came into question. My thoughts and emotions rode the waves of information like a tiny boat at sea, rising to enthusiastic heights of optimism at the crests and then, suddenly, falling into doubt and pessimism as waves of confusion, frustration and disagreement enveloped me. The tidal waves of contradictory information threatened the very journey of discovery I was on. As I was pushed from side to side in these stormy seas, it became clear that I had joined all those seafaring policy analysts who were lost in the quest to "save" Canadian drug policy from sinking further into the depths of ineffectiveness. It was this journey that led to the conclusion that what we individually and collectively think is the best approach, our moral position, ultimately influences the direction we take in addressing the drug issue.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the underlying moral attitudes that are central to the debates around drug policy in Canada in order to better understand both the obstacles and avenues to change. The author begins with a brief discussion on morality and the stages of moral development. The next section examines the social, political, and economic factors that influence our moral perspectives on illicit drugs. The third section provides a moral analysis of three major perspectives informing drug policy development: prohibition, harm reduction and drug liberalization. Finally, the author discusses factors that appear to be limiting movement in drug policy and suggests options for refocusing our moral compass to direct us to a much more effective Canadian drug policy.

MORALITY AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Morality and ethical decision-making pertain to the principles of right and wrong behaviour or conduct (Funk and Wagnalls, 1976:218 and 423). Morals are rules that one develops about proper conduct in order to "judge their own and others’ behaviour" (Wortman and Loftus, 1985:235). Our personal experiences help us to develop and adopt opinions about which behaviours are helpful and which behaviours are not. Following from cognitive-behavioural theory, one’s attitude toward drug use contributes to how one feels about it and, in turn, how one behaves with respect to drugs (e.g., the decision to use drugs or not). Similarly, our attitudes also influence the feelings we have and actions we take when we interact with those who choose to use drugs. Attitudes about whether drug use is good or not, in any given situation, are ultimately personal moral perspectives that are arrived at as individuals consider a variety of complex factors. How do people progress in moral development in general and what factors help people determine what is the best or preferred approach to drugs and drug policy? If we agree that thoughts fuel our feelings and, subsequently, our behaviours, then understanding the factors that shape moral opinions is essential to better understand current and future drug policy development.

Senator Claude Nolin, in the Report of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, clearly articulates the importance of moral or ethical concerns in drug policy:

Ethical considerations take us through what is, that is the realm of facts, to the realm of what should be, what would be desirable, moving from recognized facts to standards, then more importantly to values and finally to the means of passing on and above all implementing these values. This is why ethics was our first subject [in the Senate Committee’s Report on Cannabis] (Senate, 2002:11).