Calgary police join call to decriminalize personal illicit drug possession

Personal possession of illicit drugs should be decriminalized to protect vulnerable populations, the Calgary Police Service said Thursday.

The statement came after Canada’s police chiefs released a report saying decriminalizing the possession of a small amount of illicit drugs for personal consumption will help battle substance abuse and addiction.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) proposed increased access to health care, treatment and social services to divert people away from the criminal justice system, as well as creation of a national task force to research drug policy reform.

Enforcement and judicial efforts would continue to focus on trafficking and the illegal production and importation of drugs, the chiefs said.

It’s a stance that CPS said they support. “The Calgary Police Service has moved in this direction for several years now — we seek not to criminalize addiction but to focus our efforts on those who would prey on the vulnerably addicted,” CPS said in a statement.

“Complex issues of substance abuse cannot be solved in isolation. We are committed to continuing to work with our many community partners to provide a balanced approach of prevention, harm reduction, treatment and alternative judicial measures such as the Calgary Drug Treatment Court.”

Prof. Doug King, who teaches justice studies at Mount Royal University, said the report is “cutting edge” but will also be “extremely controversial” considering its endorsement of not just treatment, enforcement and prevention, but harm reduction services, including supervised consumption sites.

He said it’s important to note the CACP are not actually pushing for changes to the Criminal Code, but are instead identifying ways to divert those with substance-abuse issues away from the criminal justice system.

“The one thing that’s important from the report is that the head of policing in Canada, the CACP, recognizes that people who, for the most part, get picked up for simple possession are people who have significant medical and psychological needs. Throwing them into the criminal justice system is not going to help them in any way,” said King.

“It’s encouraging, from my perspective, that the CACP are finally saying people have addiction problems and that these addiction problems are driving their criminality, and we need to do something.”

The decriminalization of personal drug use is similar to what was introduced in Portugal in 2001, said Dr. Monty Ghosh, a Calgary addictions physician.

In Portugal, those carrying small quantities of illicit drugs don’t face punitive measures and are instead directed toward social services such as addictions therapy, a policy change credited for a drastic decrease in overdose deaths in that country. Canadian academics and activists have long advocated for a similar model, Ghosh said.

“I think it’s long overdue. The conversation has been happening for a long time now,” Ghosh said. “It’s a more sustainable model, it’s cost-effective and it’s client-oriented. It’s all about getting the client the supports they need instead of punishing them.”