Canada - Montreal public health backs Toronto call to decriminalize personal drug use

[S.J.B.]

Montreal public health backs Toronto call to decriminalize personal drug use
CBC
July 27th, 2018

The director of Montreal's public health agency is welcoming a recent appeal from her counterparts in Toronto for all personal use of illicit drugs to be decriminalized.

In a news release Friday, Dr. Mylene Drouin said decriminalization - a moratorium on criminal penalties - is at the heart of ongoing discussions across Canada about how best to respond to drug addiction and to the opioid crisis, in particular.

It is "one of the measures to consider in the public health response to a problem without precedence in numerous Canadian cities," the statement reads.

Earlier this month, Toronto Public Health released a report urging the city council to lobby the federal government to decriminalize all drug use, while increasing harm-reduction efforts.

The recommendation came after a public consultation process which showed that many Toronto residents believed the current approach to drug abuse wasn't working.

Read the full story here.

 

[SunriseChampion]

I'm sure Vancouver public health can't be far behind. I was pleasantly surprised when Toronto Public Health called for decriminalisation a couple of weeks ago.

That being said, I don't know how much traction this will get with the federal government. They still haven't promised to pardon all convictions for weed possession.

 

[S.J.B.]

I'm sure Vancouver public health can't be far behind.

As usual with progressive drug policies in Canada, Vancouver started the trend.

That being said, I don't know how much traction this will get with the federal government.

I doubt they are going to consider such a radical policy the year before an election they are surely not confident about. If they get another resounding mandate they might be willing to consider a social policy like this, but until then I wouldn't hold my breath. If they get a minority with the NDP they might also be pushed towards it.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Ah, yeah, of course Vancouver would have been first with this. Not sure how I missed that.

I'm still not confident in the feds though. The party censured Nathan Erskine-Smith (an MP from Toronto) for musing about decriminalisation.
We'll see.....here's hoping for the best.
As you say, though, there is no chance they'd even think about it in an election year.