From opium to alcohol to tobacco, mind-altering substances have been used for as long as people have preferred pleasant feelings to unpleasant ones. All the while, efforts to eliminate drugs have failed. Like it or not, drug use is here to stay.
The governing Liberals will discuss this issue at their national convention next weekend. In the face of a devastating epidemic of overdose deaths, they will debate a resolution to decriminalize drug use; in other words, to approach it as a health problem rather than a criminal one.
Politicians and the public often oversimplify the decriminalization debate, assuming those who don't forbid drug use must therefore condone it. But we should all be able to agree on a few things: it's better if fewer people have drug-related problems, and it's better if fewer people die.
Let's reflect on what criminalizing drug use actually accomplishes.
The threat of jail or a criminal record causes people to hide their drug use. It's why so many Canadians have died while using drugs alone at home, in alleys, and in restroom stalls. In a "tough-on-drug-use" environment, stigma runs rife, and potentially life-saving medical help goes unsought.
