Critics who derided the anti-drug strategy of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government -- both before and after it was announced last week -- either wilfully or blindly missed its central thrust.
And that is the promise of tough legislation mandating minimum jail terms for the real villains of the illicit drug trade: the parasites who produce and traffic in substances such as crystal meth and crack cocaine.
The message that society will no longer tolerate the pedlars of these toxic poisons is long overdue.
As The Province documented in a widely praised series three years ago, the devastating impact of crystal meth on young people in B.C. has brought unimaginable pain and tragedy to many families in the province.
Yet, until now, the potential profits from operating illegal meth labs have far outweighed the possible legal consequences.
The threat of substantial prison sentences should be an effective deterrent against these cynical enemies of the social order.
It should also be emphasized that Harper's plan directs twice as much money -- $42.2 million -- to treatment and prevention of drug addiction as it does to enforcement -- $21.6 million.
What he is proposing is not some empty echo of the U.S. war on drugs - -- it is a compassionate policy that strikes the right balance between preventing the spread of drugs and offering a helping hand to those victims of addiction who wish to escape from their miserable plight.
