The majority of groups that sell small amounts of drugs agree that “the quantity is negligible.” In July 2021, Vancouver City Council voted in favor of a federal motion that would allow for a “Compassion Club” model and provide tested drugs in the city. “If you decriminalize small amounts of drugs, in terms of measured weight of the drug, will there be a tendency to become even stronger, so that those who trade drugs are less likely to be criminalized?” she said. “It could actually increase the risk for people because the drugs could actually get stronger.” Some of the stupidities of the next step are happening in British Columbia. Despite the fact that Health Canada and others have refused to provide tested drugs to British Columbians, the drugs tested are still regulated. There has been significant pressure to decriminalize small amounts of drugs for personal use across the province, including Ontario`s police chiefs and Ontario`s mayors. Dr. Kieran Moore, the province`s chief public health officer, has supported the idea in the past when he was chief of public health in Kingston, Ontario. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for legislation introduced by fellow NDP Gord Johns that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of drugs, including cocaine and heroin. “Forcing people to buy poisoned drugs from criminal street gangs results in preventable deaths, so safe and regulated care is essential. Trauma and stigma contribute to harm, so we need to erase criminal records that re-traumatize and stigmatize throughout life. And education, prevention and treatment are the long-term solutions that will really help people. A Liberal campaign spokeswoman said the party has no plans to decriminalize drugs.

Maja Staka, a spokeswoman for Bennett, says the government is committed to improving safe care and using resources to distract people who use drugs from the criminal justice system. The federal New Democratic Party hopes to push the government to take stronger action on the opioid crisis with a new private member`s bill that decriminalizes the possession of drugs for personal use. The NDP supports a mixed economy, general welfare, LGBT rights, international peace, environmental responsibility, and the expansion of Canada`s universal health care system to include dental, mental health, eye and hearing care, infertility procedures and prescription drugs. Two of Canada`s centre-left parties have reached a deal that will support the government in exchange for an expansion of public services. However, one of the parties` efforts to decriminalize drugs is conspicuously absent from their agreement. Ontario`s New Democrats have also promised to declare the opioid crisis a public health emergency. Horwath said discussions about limiting drugs exempted under a decriminalization policy — if it would ask for a 4.5-gram limit, as B.C. has done — should take place with experts before making a submission to the federal government. VANCOUVER – Today, NDP lawmakers are welcoming the B.C. government`s decision to decriminalize personal drug possession in the province, saying similar action is needed nationally to help the thousands of Canadians struggling with addiction. In the last Parliament, NDP Health Critic Don Davies introduced groundbreaking legislation to decriminalize drug use in Canada so that addiction can finally be treated as a public health problem rather than a criminal problem.

The NDP bill also called on the government to adopt a national strategy for a safe drug supply to address the harms caused by problematic substance use. “Decriminalizing personal drug possession in the province and across Canada is an essential first step in eliminating the shame that often prevents people from seeking life-saving help,” said Gord Johns, NDP critic for mental health and addictions. “Addiction is a disease, not a crime. It`s time to treat substance use and addiction as the health problems they really are. When B.C.`s new plan comes into effect next year, it will join a small group of global jurisdictions, including Portugal, Mexico and the state of Oregon, where drug users are not criminalized for possession of illicit drugs for personal use. Johns said some of the existing provisions of the agreement could help people who use drugs in other ways. He said the federal government will work with the territories and provinces to find the best ways to improve health care for Canadians, including increasing mental health supports. Johns added that dental health issues can also sometimes be barriers to employment or access to housing. “There are elements of this agreement that certainly overlap,” he said. “There are many things in this agreement that we can highlight that support people who need support – whether it`s harm reduction or mental health.” “Even people who might vote for the Liberal Party, who would agree that decriminalization is good, I think at the end of the day, it`s not that important to the public,” she said, adding that federal regulation and legalization of drugs across the country would be more effective than one jurisdiction at a time. The organizers of the DULF emphasize: “People will always use drugs, so the priority should be to ensure that the drugs are as safe as possible.” “The rhetoric about `crime` and the `war on drugs` is gone,” Green told Global News.

The bill would also allow Canadians to eliminate criminal convictions for drug possession, which Mr. Johns, would help them find jobs and housing. The proposal foresees that people with small amounts of drugs will not be fined or arrested, but will receive information on access to health and social services. Decriminalization is supported by health experts and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. Read more: Trudeau urged decriminalization of illegal drugs as the number of opioid-related deaths in Canada continues to rise Liberal and Conservative lawmakers have blocked an attempt by the NDP to decriminalize personal possession of certain illicit drugs across Canada to reduce the growing number of deaths from drug abuse. In announcing B.C.`s exemption Tuesday, Carolyn Bennett, secretary of mental health and addictions, strongly advocated for more progressive approaches to solving Canada`s opioid crisis, including decriminalization and transitioning to a “safe, regulated supply of drugs.” Illicit drug use has always been a controversial topic in British Columbia. For those who don`t know, British Columbia was the first province to apply to Health Canada for an exemption to legalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use. The issue surfaced on the final day of Ontario`s election campaign after the announcement of a three-year agreement between B.C. and the federal government that means people will not be charged with possessing up to 2.5 grams of illegal drugs to reduce overdose deaths. The NDP says it is committed to public health care.

The party says it fights for “a national, universal, public pharmacare program to ensure that all Canadians with their health cards have access to the prescription drugs they need, not with their credit card – saving money and improving health outcomes for all.” [45] The party also declares its support for extending the services of the national health system to dental care, mental health care, eye and hearing care, infertility procedures, and prescription drugs. When it comes to dentistry, the NDP notes that “one in three Canadians does not have dental insurance and more than six million people do not visit the dentist each year because they cannot afford it. Too many people are forced to give up the care they need until the pain is so intense that they are forced to seek help in hospital emergency rooms. [46] Members of the harm reduction community also support this statement, but raise some concerns, including thresholds for permitted levels of drugs, which are not currently defined. In addition: “We certainly found that there was nothing there to address the drug toxicity crisis. I think it`s a missed opportunity,” Donald MacPherson, executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, told Filter. She said politicians who “want to be seen as progressive” on the issue of decriminalization end up diluting the demands of people who use drugs so as not to “overthrow voters,” because drug use is stigmatized all the time. For a very long time, the NDP tried to legalize drug use, which it finally achieved. Following this legalization, pro-drug NGOs operating in British Columbia attempted to legalize the use of drugs in large quantities.

DULF is openly calling for an exemption from section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which would allow them to open a safe supply centre and distribute clean and tested drugs. What is even more surprising here is their absurd justification for such heinous acts. The groups said many deaths were fueled by “a contaminated drug supply and the stigma associated with drug use,” which is only compounded by the criminalization of drugs and drug users. Read more: British Columbia to become first province to lift criminal penalties for possession of certain hard drugs Ontario`s New Democrats would work with Ottawa to decriminalize drugs for personal use if the party is elected to form a government this week, but the provincial Liberals are not considering a similar measure.