We make no attempt to differentiate between so-called 'hard' and 'soft' drugs. The potency of marijuana, Quigley adds, has increased dramatically. On average, marijuana is about seven times as powerful, and up to 25 times as powerful, as that consumed when today's parents were young. Advocates of legalization and decriminalization argue that illicit drugs should be treated as a health problem rather than an enforcement issue. In fact, Canada's Drug Strategy calls for a balance between reducing the supply of drugs and the demand.
Prevention is considered the most cost-effective approach.
There is also strong emphasis on treatment and rehabilitation. Health and enforcement approaches are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, arrest is often the first step in getting a drug user into a treatment program. Police increasingly see themselves not simply as enforcers, but as problem solvers required to take a public-health and educational approach. Canada has long been recognized as a leader in addressing substance abuse in a balanced fashion.