Canada's current approach
Canada's drug policy must be reconsidered.
Canada's current drug policy, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (S.C. 1996, c.19), makes possession of almost all controlled substances punishable by law. Amendments have been made due to the Cannabis Act (S.C. 2018, c.16), but most controlled substances remain criminalized.
The Act gives police free reign to lay down the hammer on substance users with the full extent of the law. This policy fails to acknowledge one of the single most important facts about drug and substance abuse: it is a public health problem, not a criminal problem.
This gap in policy has far reaching consequences that negatively impact many aspects of Canadian society, including substance users, law enforcement, the prison system, and tax payers:
- There are approximately 40,000 people incarcerated in the Canadian prison system. Over half of Canadian prisoners admitted that substance use or misuse was directly or indirectly related to one or more of their convictions.
- Approximately 95% of incarcerated addicted offenders will return to substance use after their release from prison. 60-80% will re-offend.
- While in prison, users face a higher risk of exposure to HIV, AIDS, and Hepatitis C.
- Canadian taxpayers are spending approximately $9 billion per year on criminal justice costs connected to substance use.
- 30% of admissions into custody in Canada are Indigenous citizens. Indigenous citizens only account for 4% of the Canadian population. This misrepresentation in context with the significant issue of addiction in indigenous communities creates a startling correlation.
- Over 75% of the overall cost of substance use is attributed to substances that are legal to possess and use.
Criminalizing the possession and use of specific drugs does not address the underlying root of addictions. Canada's current approach to drug policy has significant economic, medical, and social determinants.
There is a better way.
