Canada's Liberal party considers decriminalization of all illicit drugs
The Guardian: The push towards decriminalization comes as the opioid crisis continues to claim thousands of lives on both sides of the 49th parallel
With months left before Canada becomes the first country in the G7 to fully legalise marijuana, members of the country’s Liberal party, led federally by Justin Trudeau, are calling on their government to go one step further and decriminalise the possession and consumption of all illicit drugs.
Members of the country’s Liberal party, led federally by Justin Trudeau,
are calling on their government to decriminalize possession and consumption of all illicit drugs.
Chris Wattie/Reuters
The internal push to embrace the idea is one of more than two dozen resolutions set to be debated this week as the political party gathers for their national convention in the east coast city of Halifax. The resolution is one of three put forward by the national caucus, suggesting widespread support among Liberal MPs.
“It’s one of the few issues where we’re taught from a young age, that drugs are bad and that it’s normal to throw people in jail for using drugs,” said Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, a Liberal MP who has championed decriminalisation since he was elected in 2015.
“Yet when you actually start looking underneath those claims and at the actual evidence and hear from people who have study or lived this issue, this isn’t the right approach.”
Framing drug use as a criminal justice issue rather than one of health has simply served to fuel a lucrative black market, divert resources from law enforcement and marginalise those who are often already on the margins of society, he argued.
The push towards decriminalisation comes as the opioid crisis continues to claim thousands of lives on both sides of the 49th parallel. An estimated 4,000 Canadians died last year due to opioids, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada – more than the number of Canadians who died due to motor vehicle accidents and homicides combined.
In British Columbia, the western Canadian province where officials declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency in 2016, an average of four people die of overdoses each day.
The federal Liberal government has taken steps to address the crisis, expediting the approval of supervised injection sites and permitting physicians to prescribe heroin in cases of severe addiction. These are important steps, said Erskine-Smith. “But obviously if we want to save lives we need to do more.”
That could mean adopting an idea that is gaining steam across Canada as the number of opioid deaths continue to swell. Earlier this year, Canada’s New Democratic Party became the first major political party in Canada to officially champion the idea.
Weeks later the city of Vancouver recommended that the federal government immediately decriminalise personal possession of illicit drugs. “We are witnessing a horrific and preventable loss of life as a poisoned drug supply continues to kill our neighbours, friends and family,” Gregor Robertson, Vancouver’s mayor, said in a statement.
Their stance is backed by prominent organisations, from the Global Commission on Drug Policy to the World Health Organization. Many of them point to the experience of Portugal, which in 2001 did away with criminal penalties for simple possession and consumption of illicit drugs.
The move was coupled with an expansion of treatment and harm reduction services such as safe injection sites. In Portugal, those caught with drugs appear before dissuasion commissions, which can refer people to treatment or impose monetary fines.
Statistics suggest the approach is working; Portugal has seen dramatic drops in overdose deaths, HIV infection rates and drug-related crimes, while the number of drug users seeking treatment has increased.
Should the Liberals approve their resolution this week, decriminalisation would be backed by two of Canada’s three major parties. But even so, there is little guarantee that the idea will make its way into the Liberal platform in the upcoming 2019 federal election. Trudeau, who leads the party, has repeatedly said his government is not considering legalising any other drugs besides marijuana.
Erskine-Smith stressed the difference between the two issues. The federal government’s efforts to end marijuana prohibition aim to halt the flow of profits to organised crime, given that Canadians spent an estimated C$5.7 billion on marijuana last year.
But when it comes to decriminalisation, said Erskine-Smith, “we’re not talking removing the criminal sanction for sale, we’re not talking removing the criminal sanction for production, as we did with cannabis.”
The change in approach comes with political risks, he acknowledged. Canada’s Conservative party remains staunchly opposed to the idea and have shown themselves willing to exploit fears over the proposal to gain votes.
Last year the party’s leader Andrew Scheer attacked Trudeau on Twitter, alleging that his government was considering decriminalisation drugs beside marijuana.
“It’s funny. When you talk to conservative members of Parliament one-on-one, I think they’re open to the idea,” said Erskine-Smith. “But my hope is – especially when confronted with the numbers of Canadians who have lost their lives, and we’re talking Canadians of all backgrounds, Canadians of all political parties – I really do hope we’re all able to get past the politics of it and follow the evidence.”
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Duh.......
" Enforcing the war on drugs costs the US more than $51 billion each year, according to the Drug Policy Alliance . As of 2012, the US had spent $1 trillion on anti-drug efforts"
You would think the idiot Republicans who claim to be so fiscally conservative would wake up to the fact that you can't legislate morality and people are going to do what they want to do to themselves regardless of whether you criminalize it. On top of the $1 trillion spent on the useless "war on drugs" we spend billions more each year keeping non-violent drug offenders incarcerated. The conservatives who fought for this really aren't smart.
Things are changing a bit, even conservatives are now supporting money for opioid rehabilitation now that it's not primarily minorities being effected but white middle aged middle income Americans. Now they want to take the compassionate route to drug policy, funny how that works.
Prohibition didn't work, nor has the War On Drugs. You would think that IF people truly wanted to legislate morality they would use the processes that have been proven to reduce the actions they find morally wrong. In the case of drug use - treating it as a health issue actually works better than criminalization. Of course that doesn't inflate law enforcement budgets, look tough or help sell prescription pain meds.
Well there's the problem right there, I can't recall a time when conservative Republicans could actually be accused of thinking.
Oh, I don't know... if you're talking about traditional Republicans then the do think. It's just with their pocket books. Those responsible for our tough on crime laws have been well paid by the various lobbying firms. If you are talking about the populist moral conservative flock, well then you are probably correct. The hypocritical twisted pretzel logic I keep hearing from some of them is proof of that.
I think it's a good idea and it should be done here. Why the hell should the users be thrown in prison in the first place(non violent offenders)? In the USA and all the for profit prisons, I get it, it's got to stop. Decriminalize all illicit drugs and stop penalizing the user.
I'm totally on your side here, but let's use the correct facts. It's really hard to get accurate data on this, but the data we do have seem to contradict your point. From the data it looks like 3.4% of the prison population is there because of drug possession. You also have to factor in plea deals from worse charges, probation violations and that 3 strike laws under probation violations are felonies. It's more like nearly 600,000 people are arrested a year for simple weed possession, but rarely ever do jail, let alone prison. We can, and should as a country, reverse this insanity. It will save money in the long run and is the right thing to do.
This is a total no-brainer. Most of the destruction "due to drugs" is in fact due to their being illegal.
Because they are illegal:
- they are expensive, leading many users to criminal activity to finance their need,
- they are of variable quality, leading to accidental overdoses,
- the whole distribution system is outside the law, so disputes are resolved outside the law... with guns...
If drugs are legal, all those problems go away...
What is really sad, and in some ways cruel, is that people with serious physical problems are now being denied the pain medication that helps them to be able to live even a modicum of a endurable life, who use their pain meds mindfully, and whose Doctors are judicious with their prescriptions, are being penalized because of those who abuse both the pain medications, and the Doctors who over and wrongfully prescribe them. There is nothing that really works as a decent pain medication other than the opioids, and those that even somewhat work are being priced out of most average people's ability to pay, even with their health plans.
The fact is, people who are going to abuse opioids are going to get them no matter how or at what, and those who have not been abusing them are now made to suffer without them to live a better life.
And Pain Management is a joke for so many with serious physical ailments. My neighbor has serious arthritic conditions in her spine, hips and shoulders, and has been passed from one Pain Management doctor to another as none of them have been able to even somewhat reduce or manager her pain. But, her Doctor can no longer prescribe her the pain medication she needs in fear of being prosecuted.
And no, opioids are not always the answer, but, in some cases they are the only answer. But, now millions of Americans are being made to suffer and have a low quality of life due to those who choose to abuse them.
It is sort of like if a 1000 drivers in America disobey the law and lose their license, then every driver in America should lose their license as well. It truly makes no sense at all.
And yeah...there will be those who will jump my case about what I have said, but, I have seen first hand what people with severe illnesses and physical disabilities have gone through, and how the opiods helped make their life a little more tolerable. And it truly pains me to see so many people having to suffer without that help due to some who choose to abuse them.
And I wonder......where is the law against alcohol? Alcohol is constantly being abused. Alcoholism and drinking an driving are also being contributors to death and detrimental to our society. But, there is no law against selling it openly, nor penalties for those who sell it openly.
Just my own observations and opinions.
I hadn't thought of this aspect... but you're right of course.
And this problem would disappear, too, if drugs were legal.
I am still of the opinion even todays illegal drugs when legalized need regulated and unfortunately... taxed.
I trust No one that isn't regulated and/or watched over these days. No consequences leads to chaos.
Of course.
That statement is so true and can be applied to so much of what others want to "regulate or Ban" (for the good of a few.) I call that a police state mentality. Worse yet I see that inclination growing and infringing on more and more rights we HAD as citizens.
Go figure: More people, more problems, more laws and more government.
If this continues we all could become robotic humans. All dancing to the same beat like a N Korean.
That's why I dropped both parties and became an independent. Neither gets to claim my power !
I've always said that drugs should be handled as a medical problem rather than a legal one. Legalizing drugs will bring addicts out of the shadows so we can help them. Canada isn't near as tough as America, but she's a lot smarter.
It's good that Canada is doing this. It's worked really well for Portugal.
Prohibition did not work and the war on drugs was lost long before it was declared
Agreed.
'I've always said that drugs should be handled as a medical problem rather than a legal one.'
Agree 100%