Criminalizing drug addiction: "We can't punish the trauma out of people by creating more trauma."

Saskatchewan and Alberta are both bringing forward legislation to criminalize 

drug use as well as drug trafficking. 

It seems to be as much a performance, as a plan. 

But the people it will hurt are real. 

In Saskatchewan, the focus seems to be on stopping drug use on the street because its icky: 

Brody Langager / Saskatoon Star Phoenix 

New drug penalties could further marginalize users: PHR executive director 

Prairie Harm Reduction is raising concerns about new drug-related penalties it says could potentially further marginalize people.

The provincial government this week announced legislation to address the battle against methamphetamine and fentanyl in Saskatchewan, including fines of up to $1 million for drug trafficking; seizing property used for or purchased with the proceeds of drug sales; reclassifying drug use and “other disruptive activities” in semi-public spaces as trespassing; and classifying drug-related items (including needles) as street weapons to let officers seize them immediately.

Also under the new measures, driver’s licenses, provincial firearms licences, hunting and fishing licences, and in some cases business and other municipal licenses can be cancelled. As well, provincial benefits could be cancelled.

“While we recognize the need for action in response to the overdose crisis, we firmly oppose punitive approaches that further marginalize people who use drugs,” Prairie Harm Reduction executive director Kayla DeMong said this week following the government announcement.

“For decades, the government has focused on criminalization as a way to solve systemic issues. Instead, they push people further into unsafe conditions, increasing overdose risk and barriers to health care.”

DeMong said charging people for possession of needles or potentially taking away income assistance will strongly impact those who are using substances, not those selling the drugs. She said labelling sterile needles as a weapon is “a direct attack” on efforts that have helped reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, and that needle exchanges and safe consumption sites are proven to save lives.... 

Dayne Patterson / CBC News 

Experts say Sask. legislation meant to crack down on public drug use may worsen crime 

Business organizations welcome proposed legislation

...Dan Hearn, who is in recovery from drug addiction and co-hosts Hard Knox Talks: Your Addiction Podcast, said he doesn't like taking his children downtown and having them see open drug use, but doesn't think more strict enforcement is the solution.

"I don't like having them see people with burnt meth pipes in their mouths or walking around with syringes behind their ears or whatever the case," Hearn said.

"However, I don't think further punitive measures is the solution."

Hearn said it's "unfathomable" that removing government benefits is going to stop people from using drugs. He also referenced a proposed policy allowing driver's licences to be cancelled, stating that while he was using drugs a suspended licence would not have stopped him from driving.

He said he agrees with other experts who say funding should be put toward health care, education and housing rather than strictly justice and enforcement.

"We can't punish the trauma out of people by creating more trauma."

On the other hand, he said he understands why some — like business owners — see this as a necessary change...

For more reactions, listen to these CBC radio interviews: 

Stefani Langenegger / CBC The Morning Edition - Sask 

Expert reacts to Saskatchewan's plans to implement involuntary treatment centres

Stephanie Massicotte / CBC Saskatoon Morning 

Province says it’s taking new steps to crack down on illegal drugs, but will these measures make communities safer?

Prairie Harm Reduction has posted a press release on its Facebook page: Prairie Harm Reduction's response to Proposed Provincial Legislation on Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, and they are also organizing a Letter Writing campaign asking people to say this to the provincial government:

..."Criminalization has been tried before, and it has failed. Evidence from Canada and around the world shows that punitive approaches do not stop drug use; they only make it more dangerous. When people fear arrest, they are less likely to seek help, use harm reduction services, or access treatment. Policies that prioritize harm reduction—such as safe consumption sites, needle distribution programs, and decriminalization—are proven to save lives, reduce public drug use, and connect people with the healthcare and support services they need.

"These proposed legislative changes threaten to undo progress in addressing the overdose crisis and will disproportionately harm marginalized and vulnerable individuals. We urge the government to reconsider these harmful policies and instead invest in evidence-based solutions that prioritize public health and community well-being.

"The overdose crisis is not a crime problem—it is a public health emergency...."

Meanwhile, Alberta is going even further to criminalize drug addiction -- it intends build two "involuntary treatment centres" AKA "jails" 

Alanna Smith / Globe and Mail 

Alberta to build two involuntary treatment centres for addictions 

...If the legislation passes, it would be the first involuntary treatment law in Canada that targets addiction specifically and affects a broader population. Some provinces, including Alberta, already use mental-health law to force people into drug treatment without court orders in especially severe situations – but otherwise, adults can refuse help. Since 2006, Alberta has allowed parents or legal guardians to place youth into treatment.

British Columbia has said it will expand involuntary care for people with concurrent addiction, mental illness and severe brain injuries through existing mental-health legislation. Premier David Eby has also said that he will introduce legislation aimed at compelling youth into treatment.

Elaine Hyshka, associate professor at the school of public health at the University of Alberta, is a critic of the Alberta government’s plan. She said the province has yet to provide any evidence that compulsory treatment works.

“Given that we are talking about significant deprivation of liberty and infringement of people’s rights, I think we need to know that these treatment programs are safe and effective,” she said.

Dr. Hyshka said that she hears consistently from families and others in the field that there are still long wait times for access to the voluntary treatment system, including for detox, short– and long-term bed-based programs. “For me, the main question is: Why are we now focused on expanding access to involuntary treatment?” she said.

Individuals would need to meet specific criteria in Alberta for forced care, the details of which have not been released. Decisions on eligibility will be made by a commission, which will include lawyers, physicians, members of the public and potentially Indigenous elders, according to the government. The facilities will provide detox, counselling and therapy services.... 

Yeah, I'm sure they will be thoughtfully managed, expertly run and extremely well staffed, just like all Alberta health services are these days...

Here is a Vancouver harm reduction story: