Federal prosecutors told to avoid drug possession charges when possible in new directive
Catharine Tunney
CBC
August 19th, 2020
Read the official prosecution guidelines here.
Catharine Tunney
CBC
August 19th, 2020
Read the full story here.Federal lawyers are being asked to avoid prosecuting simple drug possession cases unless major public safety concerns are at play — a move that comes amid a push on the federal government to reconsider decriminalization.
The directive, which was issued earlier this week, revises the Public Prosecution Service of Canada's (PPSC) approach to simple possession offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Director of Public Prosecutions Kathleen Roussel is now asking her team of lawyers to focus on seeking charges only in "the most serious cases" and to otherwise ask for alternative measures, such as restorative justice and Indigenous approaches to divert simple possession cases away from the criminal justice system.
"For example, where the possession relates to a substance use disorder, prosecution should generally be avoided where the offender is enrolled in a drug treatment court program or a course of treatment provided under the supervision of a health professional," said PPSC spokesperson Nathalie Houle in an email.
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Cases meriting charges could involve children or young people at risk, weapon, threats, acts of violence or isolated communities, according to the new directive.
Read the official prosecution guidelines here.