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How far should the state go to prevent drug abuse? This paper rejects H.LA. Hart's paternalism, and even more strongly opposes Lord Devlin's case for the legal enforcement of morals. It adopts instead, J.S.Mill's argument that only public defence justifies state intervention or coercion. Canadian drug laws, which embody Devlin's position, are abusive of civil rights and ineffective despite their oppressiveness. In particular, the paper examines the violation of rights involved in school and employment drug detection plans, and also in compulsory treatment programs for illicit drug users. Basic legal reform is advocated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article indicates that for a general population of students drug education via the news media was most effective and most influential. It was the source from which over 50 per cent of the students learned most about drugs and also the source to which almost 50 per cent attributed their decision that marihuana was harmful. The other sources such as family, friends, or school and church played only a minor role. Another important finding of the study, especially in Toronto, Ontario and Halifax, Nova Scotia was that the influence of the source is heavily dependent on the inclination of the student to use drugs. Those students who do not use drugs rely on the news media. But drug users rely on their own experience or on friends. This suggests that the purposes and target population of drug education must be clearly defined. If the goals are mainly preventive, drug education will be directed at those students who have not yet used drugs. If the goal of the program is primarily to bring a halt to present drug experimentation, then the target population is the drug users. Nonusers can best be reached through news media, and drug users through more personal contacts. The reasons for the discrepancies in the Montreal data are not known. Cultural factors may have been involved.

The article reports on the Take Home Naloxone program which trains drug users, families and friends and service providers on the method to prevent drug overdose death in British Columbia (BC). The naloxone kits are distributed to clinics, pharmacies and doctors' offices across Canada under the program. Overdose from illicit drugs is addressed in other parts of Canada through similar programs including the Preventing Overdose in Toronto (POINT) and Peer Overdose Prevention Program (POPP).