Canadian Drug Policy Coalition to release new report on the failures of Canadian Drug Policy

With the ascent of Stephen Harper’s Conservative government in 2006, the drug policy landscape in Canada changed considerably and not for the better. These are the findings of new report on Canadian drug policy, to be released by the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition at the end of May 2013. The findings of this report, based on the latest research and interviews with dozens of front line people, reveals that Canada is at a crossroads when it comes to drug laws and policies.

The report documents the failing role that current federal drug policies play in supporting safety and health and draws attention to the acute need for an improved system of supports for people who use drugs including harm reduction. The report’s authors found that Canada’s current federal government is openly hostile to evidence-based measures like key harm reduction services and has clearly taken a punitive approach to addressing drug use problems. And failure by all levels of government to fully meet the needs of people with drug problems, means that some groups are still outright denied these lifesaving services and many community-based organizations struggle to meet the basic needs of their clients. This report also highlights recent changes to Canadian law that implement mandatory minimum sentences and Canada’s escalating military role in the war of drugs. Despite these ominous developments the report also documents the innovations in harm reduction pioneered by Canadians in a North American context including supervised injection services and heroin-assisted treatment.

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