Current Canadian drug policy, specifically the criminalization of drug use and possession for personal use, is not supported by the evidence.
In a policy brief published in the March issue of the Canadian Journal of Addiction, the society writes that it has failed to mitigate the harms of drug use which continue to rise, and it perpetuates existing health inequities, particularly among already marginalized populations. Drug decriminalization has demonstrated some success internationally, prompting the growing calls from numerous national and international public health organizations for this approach to be adopted more widely.
CSAM-SMCA joins the growing calls for decriminalizing drug use and possession for personal use.
Given that the CSAM-SMCA strives to advocate for the population most impacted by this misguided policy of criminalization, CSAM-SMCA joins the growing calls for decriminalizing drug use and possession for personal use.
The Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine is a national society of medical professionals and scientists committed to helping Canadians understand, accept, and recover from substance use disorders.
