Toronto91裸聊视频檚 bid to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugs for personal use has been plunged into uncertainty in recent days, as drug policy experts suggest political debates over British Columbia91裸聊视频檚 backtracking on the issue have hurt the city91裸聊视频檚 application.
The prime minister and the federal minister for mental health and addictions have both separately said that the city doesn91裸聊视频檛 currently have an 91裸聊视频渁ctive91裸聊视频� application for the government to consider. Toronto Public Health, meanwhile, has said its application remains with Health Canada amid ongoing discussions.
Gillian Kolla, a public health researcher, says 91裸聊视频渋t91裸聊视频檚 not at all clear what the holdup might be91裸聊视频� for the more than two-year-old application. But she worries the process has been coloured by politicization, with the 91裸聊视频渧ery fulsome91裸聊视频� bid at risk of not being judged on its merits.
91裸聊视频淭here seems to be a total lack of urgency on the part of the federal government to respond to this application,91裸聊视频� said Kolla, a Toronto-based drug policy expert.
The city made a request to Health Canada in early 2022 for an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. That application was put back under the spotlight recently after British Columbia scaled back its own decriminalization pilot program.
The B.C. government got federal approval this week to recriminalize public drug possession, a major climb down for the first-of-its-kind pilot in Canada.
Amid pressure from Conservative opposition to kibosh Toronto91裸聊视频檚 proposal, federal Minister for Mental Health and Addictions Ya91裸聊视频檃ra Saks called the city91裸聊视频檚 application 91裸聊视频渄ormant91裸聊视频� and said it has not reached her desk.
Asked to clarify, her office called Toronto91裸聊视频檚 request 91裸聊视频渋ncomplete91裸聊视频� and said Health Canada was waiting for responses to questions sent months ago about the application. The questions had to with whether the application 91裸聊视频� which is backed by Toronto police 91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频渁dequately addressed the dual objectives of public health and public safety.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淎s such, the exemption application is not at the state where it would be in front of the Minister for consideration and is not an active application,91裸聊视频� Saks91裸聊视频� office wrote in a statement this week.
The office said it would not comment on the specifics of the application when asked what questions Health Canada sent and to whom. Health Canada directed multiple requests for comment to the minister91裸聊视频檚 office.
Toronto Public Health did not respond to questions about the statement from Saks91裸聊视频� office and declined a request for an interview with the chief medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa.
The city91裸聊视频檚 public health unit has said that its application for decriminalization is still with Health Canada, calling the discussions 91裸聊视频渁ctive and ongoing.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淲e are committed to maintaining an open and constructive partnership with Health Canada,91裸聊视频� Toronto Public Heath wrote in a statement earlier this week.
DJ Larkin, the executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, said 91裸聊视频渞egardless of who91裸聊视频檚 waiting on who,91裸聊视频� Toronto91裸聊视频檚 well-supported application is languishing before an overly onerous review process.
91裸聊视频淲e know that police forces and communities across the country and across the world already know that criminalization does not work,91裸聊视频� Larkin said.
91裸聊视频淏ut because we have to go through these applications for exemptions, even in a circumstance where maybe, possession laws are not being heavily enforced already, it shines a light. It creates one of those sparks for controversy.91裸聊视频�
The federal government91裸聊视频檚 pace when it comes to dealing with Toronto91裸聊视频檚 application has long garnered criticism from drug users and advocates who say it fails to match the urgency required of an overdose crisis that has left hundreds of people dead in the city every year.
Decriminalization has been publicly backed by Toronto officials since at least 2018 for its stated goal to reduce stigma and treat the overdose crisis squarely as a health issue, rather than a criminal one. Criminalizing drug possession, Toronto91裸聊视频檚 application says, only makes it harder for people who use drugs to get support.
The city sent a preliminary request to Health Canada in January 2022 and, after more consultations, updated its submission in March 2023. The proposal calls for decriminalization to be paired with a host of more direct public health responses, including scaled up harm reduction and mental health services.
The city91裸聊视频檚 proposal goes further than British Columbia, by also shielding young people from criminal charges and extending the exemption to all drugs for personal possession.
The model was co-sponsored by Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw, who described the city as already under 91裸聊视频渄e facto91裸聊视频� decriminalization in the city91裸聊视频檚 2023 submission. Officers have been directed to minimize personal possession charges and federal prosecutors had been told to only pursue the most serious cases of personal possession, such as those tied to impaired driving or posing a risk to children.
The application has nonetheless been lampooned by the province. Premier Doug Ford has promised to fight it 91裸聊视频渢ooth and nail91裸聊视频� and on Thursday the province91裸聊视频檚 associate minister of mental health and addictions called it a 91裸聊视频渕ade-in-Toronto disaster.91裸聊视频�
A spokesperson for Ontario91裸聊视频檚 health minister noted, however, that cities are free to ask for a federal exemption without provincial approval.
But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau91裸聊视频檚 office last week said the province of Ontario would be 91裸聊视频渞equired to support any request from Toronto, and they have not done so.91裸聊视频�
British Columbia91裸聊视频檚 recent move to recriminalize possession in public spaces marked a major change of course. Premier David Eby said the move followed police concerns that officers had limited ways to deal with public drug use, though critics argue those concerns are unfounded.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 no data to link decriminalization to increased public safety issues or even increased public drug consumption,91裸聊视频� said Larkin, who is based in Vancouver.
The political debate has also inflamed fears over the topic of decriminalization, said Kolla.
91裸聊视频淓ven with legalized, regulated drugs like alcohol, we do have measures in place that to try to balance, you know, sometimes people are drunk and disorderly in public spaces and how do we deal with that,91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频淥n the flip side here, one of the worries is that we have such a long history of criminalizing people who use currently illegal drugs even if they were not causing any problems or any public disorder, that this is going to be another tool to just criminalize poverty and criminalize visible homelessness.91裸聊视频�
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