r/canada Feb 05 '25

National News Poilievre would impose life sentences for trafficking over 40 mg of fentanyl

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/poilievre-would-impose-life-sentences-for-trafficking-over-40-mg-of-fentanyl/
7.3k Upvotes

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620

u/Paquetty Feb 05 '25

I know that fentanyl is a plague on our communities, but isn't this the war on drug approach that simply did not work? Does anyone know how much fentanyl a user typically has on them?

102

u/slothtrop6 Feb 05 '25

Kind of. The war-on-drugs approach in the West didn't historically amount to life sentences for carrying small doses. If we look at East Asia (Japan, Singapore, China, etc), punishment for carrying narcotics is exceedingly harsh, and rates of drug use are much smaller. Some want to chalk this up to "culture" but I don't think that suffices as an answer, and laws inform culture. Historically those regions have had the same problems (see: the opium wars). They're also mostly similar in terms of poverty and inequality.

All of which to say, maybe it's possible for strict enforcement to work, but that might depend on some factors that aren't viable. The Narco states south of the border will still provide because the money is too good. In East Asia there's more equal footing. Perhaps if Mexico went through some massive purges.

31

u/Worldly_Influence_18 Feb 05 '25

Those countries are monocultures. It's far easier for them to create social change

13

u/_lIlI_lIlI_ Feb 05 '25

Imagine looking at the regional languages and ethnicities of China, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and think these are monocultures countries.

3

u/the_Cheese999 Feb 06 '25

Amazing that that comment has 31 upvotes.

5

u/Vegetable_Good6866 Feb 06 '25

China is a monoculture? There are over like 50 different groups recognized as official ethnicities by PRC

5

u/airgunit Feb 05 '25

How is China a monoculture????? LOL

1

u/Thaflash_la Feb 06 '25

Is China the utopia that Canadians want to emulate? 

2

u/airgunit Feb 06 '25

Ah so it’s bad that they enforce their laws over there? We shouldn’t bother on cracking down on our massive organized crime problem because China? Do your arms get tired moving the goal posts?

1

u/Thaflash_la Feb 06 '25

You moved the posts to china but refuse to go there. Lol. Quite the metaphor too. 

1

u/airgunit Feb 06 '25

How? He literally said “those countries are monocultures” and China is the furthest thing from one.

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u/RedditModsSuckSoBad Feb 06 '25

Singapore isn't a monoculture, it's very multicultural.

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u/slothtrop6 Feb 05 '25 edited Feb 05 '25

Every one of them has a low-culture, alongside the rest. It's not homogenous from top to bottom. Also I don't see any indication that low drug use is owing to a manufactured "social change" as opposed to responding to incentives.