NDP lawmaker tables bill to decriminalize drug use as overdose deaths soar April 16, 2021 April 16, 2021
By Christopher Reynolds
OTTAWA An NDP lawmaker is tabling legislation to decriminalize drug use in Canada, seeking to treat it as a health issue amid a lethal opioid crisis.
New Democrat health critic Don Davies introduced a private member’s bill Thursday that would scrap Criminal Code provisions on drug possession, expunge criminal records for the same offence and mandate low-barrier access to a safe supply of medically regulated substances.
The legislation is unlikely to reach the debate stage, but Davies says current federal policy is causing “unneeded deaths,” despite moving in the right direction recently.
The Dance Centre will showcase online performances in the lead up to International Dance Day on April 29.
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson said today the province will seek an exemption from drug possession laws under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The section allows the federal health minister to grant exemptions from the act’s provisions if deemed medically necessary or in the public interest.
Malcolmson also said Tuesday’s provincial budget will include $45 million over three years for expanded supervised consumption sites, naloxone kits and outreach teams to connect people with services.
The announcements come on the heels of B.C.’s. worst year for toxic drug deaths and almost seven months after the government promised an expanded safe supply of substances to reduce users’ risks. Critics say little progress has been made in delivering on the pre-election promise.
NDP lawmaker tables bill to decriminalize drug use as overdose deaths soar - Canada News castanet.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from castanet.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Christopher Reynolds
A man injects hydromorphone at the Providence Health Care Crosstown Clinic in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday April 6, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck April 15, 2021 - 12:58 PM
OTTAWA - An NDP lawmaker is tabling legislation to decriminalize drug use in Canada, seeking to treat it as a health issue amid a lethal opioid crisis.
New Democrat health critic Don Daviesintroduced a private member s bill Thursday that would scrap Criminal Code provisions on drug possession, expunge criminal records for the same offence and mandate low-barrier access to a safe supply of medically regulated substances.
The legislation is unlikely to reach the debate stage, but Davies says current federal policy is causing unneeded deaths, despite moving in the right direction recently.
NDP MP proposes decriminalizing drug use brandonsun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from brandonsun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.