Decriminalizing drugs for personal use would help people find help, keep jobs: Sask. advocate
Advocates are asking the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners to support the decriminalization of drug possession for personal use.
Marie Agioritis and others have penned letters to the police board, which is meeting Thursday, asking them to consider this step towards changing laws around drug possession.
Agioritis, the Saskatchewan leader for Moms Stop the Harm, told CTV News that decriminalization could help alleviate the pressures felt by the criminal justice system and give those with mental health issues and addictions a chance to seek help.
“When we decriminalize simple possession we haven’t got people running away from the police or being afraid to walk into an emergency room when they need help, or being afraid to walk into recovery services,” Agioritis said.
“Imagine you’re a young guy and you’re afraid to go forward because you could lose your job or you might lose certain benefits as a result,” Agioritis said.
Those caught with drugs for personal use are tagged with a criminal record after an arrest and that could make it almost impossible to find employment she said.
She said mental health and addictions span across all age ranges and backgrounds.
“We need to quit criminalizing them because it’s not working, the deaths are going up, the crime rates are going up and the stress on our police officers is going up. We need to change it up,” she said.
The board issued a notice of motion calling on city police to look at evidence-based approaches to expanded harm reductions in other jurisdictions.
Those include decriminalization, safe supply and increased diversion of drug-related charges that could improve the drug crisis in Saskatoon.
In November, Vancouver City Council unanimously voted to decriminalize simple drug possession.
Saskatoon police Chief Troy Cooper said the motion will be discussed and voted on in August. Cooper added it’s important the police service along with its partners look at how it shifts drug possession from the criminal justice system to healthcare.
Cooper mentioned his office has received memos from public prosecutions to focus more attention on larger drug trafficking offences rather than simple drug possession, but charges still fall on simple possession if there are other criminal elements involved.
“If it was a simple solution it would be something that can happen quickly but we recognize that you can’t just simply decriminalize drug possession without having some other solution in place,” Cooper said.
The police board heard how the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is already endorsing a federal criminal code amendment for simple possession.
The federal New Democratic Party has also tabled a bill in Ottawa that would decriminalize an array of drugs as well as give Canadians the opportunity to clear criminal record convictions for drug possession.
Agioritis wants Saskatoon police to show its support to Ottawa favouring simple possession decriminalization.
The board received the letters as information.
Mayor Charlie Clark posted to his social media this week voicing his support for a similar decriminalization proposal happening in Vancouver.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.