Official Release - Issues of Substance

Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council

The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council has endorsed legalization with strict regulation as the best drug policy option.

The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council has endorsed legalization with strict regulation as the best drug policy option to immediately and dramatically improve health and safety for all residents of Canada, prevent tens of thousands of drug poisoning deaths and injuries annually, and, provide financial savings to the public, non-profit, and private sector budgets.Join WRCPC’s Michael Parkinson along with: •	Irene O’toole, Vice Chair, WRCPC•	Ruth Cameron, Executive Director, ACCKWA*•	Judah Oudshoorn, Professor•	Sara Escobar, Peregrine Outreach•	Jesse Burt, Harm reduction/outreach, ACCKWA** Aids Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and areaCanadian drug laws, beginning with the Opium Act of 1908 and found today within the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, remain grounded in racism and antiquated notions of morality, chronically lacking evidence demonstrating a positive impact on the demand for, or supply of, currently unregulated substances. There is both qualitative and quantitative evidence of harms, including deaths, attributable to the criminalization of certain substances and, disproportionately, certain people. Nonetheless, criminalization via enforcement, courts, and corrections remains the dominant intervention, costing billions of public dollars each year. Core public health and safety standards applied to legal-regulated foods, drugs, and other consumer products remain intentionally idle for people who use unregulated drugs occasionally or more frequently. The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, a national model for crime prevention through social development, including leadership to modernize drug policies and practices at local, provincial and national levels, is pleased to share a new report that considers 3 models for Canadian drug policy: prohibition, decriminalization and legalization with strict regulation. After thoughtful review, the Council has formally endorsed legalization with strict regulation as the best policy option for reducing the financial burden on taxpayers and, critically, for substantially improving both individual and community health, safety and well-being. A central consideration was that neither prohibition or decriminalization models reduce the toxicity of a robust, unregulated drug market implicated in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries annually. Four thousand people died of un-prevented drug poisoning in Ontario in 2021, with no relief expected in 2022. Short presentations will be followed by a question period, with journalists first, and audience members second.Key Links:www.overdoseprevention.ca www.drugpolicy.cawww.acckwa.com

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Official Release - Issues of Substance

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Official Release - Issues of Substance

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