The Vancouver Sun has a discussion of the consequences of minimum drug sentences and harsh prosecution as proposed by Stephen Harper:
It was a performance that would have made proud Ronald Reagan, the late Republican president and father of the war on drugs, and his ideological heir, George W. Bush.
Trouble is, 20 years after the U.S. began jailing its own citizens at a rate that outstripped even the most dictatorial countries, such an approach to drug use runs counter to the best thinking, no matter which side of the political spectrum you are on
Well thought out piece overall, points out a possibly overlooked transition from social conservative actions to fiscally liberal consequences. Who’s going to pay for all the jailed drug users? Johnny Taxpayer.