Loving Drugs is Not a Crime –

Sept. 10, 2018 – Most people who use drugs don’t have a drug problem. Rather, they have a fear of prosecution problem. When possession of drugs is a crime, it creates giant barriers to harm reduction and treatment. First and foremost, it means drugs will be supplied by criminals, and the supply will be unregulated, potentially unsafe and over-priced. This, in turn, means more overdoses, more deaths and more hospitalizations. It also means more crime because those who are addicted and constantly chasing a high will take whatever means they have to get their drugs – including stealing and sex work – and risk yet more criminal sanctions. Those problems won’t disappear with decriminalization, but measures such as drug-checking are facilitated and, if safety of supply becomes a priority, governments can opt to legalize and regulate, as they are doing with cannabis.

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