'Not ready': Alberta police association says it won't support drug decriminalization
As others in Canada start to take steps towards new personal possession rules, Alberta's police association says it's too soon to decriminalize hard drugs in our province.
Calgary's top cop Mark Neufeld, speaking on behalf of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police, says there's not enough evidence that shows the strategy alone will have an impact.
"By itself, decriminalization would not reduced rates of addiction or overdose," he said. "(It) triggers an immediate need for structural and societal changes in areas that do not currently exist."
The association says there is still work in health, social services and justice that needs to be done before rules can be overhauled. It believes premature changes will result in complaints and open public drug use that will lead to more work for officers.
"If you were to just pull sort of one lever, and it was going to be the decriminalization lever, all it would do is just make it easier to possess illicit drugs and also to see individuals using them in public," Neufeld said. "We're not ready."
Calgary police chief Mark Neufeld says the city isn't ready to decriminalize drugs
OPEN DRUG USE HAPPENING NOW: ADVOCATES
But while the chief is trying to save his officers added duties, many advocates point out that policing work is already embedded in drug use effects -- and decriminalization would be a step to remedying that.
Across the country in 2018 to 2020, almost 28,000 annual arrests were made for possession.
"We're making people's lives very miserable if they use drugs," advocate Euan Thomson told CTV News. "With a new strategy, drug use will likely go down, people will gain stability in their lives and as their human rights are restored, and our communities will actually become safer."
Thomson points to Portugal, where decades-old decriminalization can be directly linked to a decrease in overdose deaths and drug use in teens, and to an increase in those seeking treatment.
"Decriminalization is very much needed, even if it's on its own," Thomson said. "Just like we saw with cannabis legalization, the sky is not going to fall on the day you decriminalize all drugs."
The City of Vancouver has applied for an exemption from the federal controlled substances act so it can update its personal possession rules.
British Columbia applied to the federal government in November to remove criminal penalties for people who possess small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use. The province argued that substance abuse and addiction is a public health issue, not a criminal one.
Since B.C. declared a public health emergency in 2016, 7,700 British Columbians have died because of a toxic drug supply.
Toronto's board of health said it would also seek permission from the federal government to allow drug users to carry small amounts for personal use.
Calgary's police chief expects many more cities will also explore that option.
"We're aware that other provinces have submitted requests to Health Canada seeking an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that would decriminalize personal possession of illicit drugs. These are conversations that are ongoing in our province as well,'' said Neufeld.
"I'm not concerned that this is moving forward in any way that's imminent. It is a discussion that has been ongoing for the last number of years, which has been intensified obviously by the drug poisonings and opioid overdoses."
As of now, no changes are imminent in Alberta.
With files from The Canadian Press .
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canadian killed near Gaza border after threatening forces with knife: Israeli police
Israeli police say a Canadian citizen was killed Monday after threatening Israeli security forces with a knife near the Gaza border.
Harris looks to lock up Democratic nomination after Biden steps aside, reordering 2024 race
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House after President Joe Biden stepped aside amid concerns from within their own party that he would be unable to defeat Donald Trump.
What to know about the Canadian ties of Kamala Harris, Biden's choice for successor
U.S. President Joe Biden is stepping aside as the Democratic candidate in that country's November election and throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris -- a Montreal-area high school graduate who spent several years in the city.
The pilot who died in crash after releasing skydivers near Niagara Falls has been identified
Officials on Sunday released the name of a pilot who died in a skydiving flight after her passengers jumped from the aircraft near the Niagara Falls.
Markets bet on second Bank of Canada interest rate cut coming this week
Economists and market watchers are betting the Bank of Canada will deliver another interest rate cut this week amid mounting evidence that inflation is sustainably easing.
10,000 unionized employees return to work, stores to reopen Tuesday: LCBO
Workers are back on the job today at Ontario's main liquor retailer, but the Liquor Control Board of Ontario says stores won't be open for business until Tuesday.
Canadian musicians struggle to get visas to perform in the U.S., some cancel shows
Backlogs and processing delays of temporary U.S. visas required by entertainers, athletes and artists has forced some Canadian bands to cancel U.S. tour dates because paperwork wasn't processed in time.
Mom wants quicker reform on disaster preparations, one year after flood took son
The mother of a boy who died a year ago in a Nova Scotia flood says her grief returns daily, along with frustration over what she considers the province's slow pace in reforming its preparations for climate disasters.
Ottawa man waiting nearly a year for car to be fixed at Acura dealership
An Ottawa man says he’s been waiting nearly a year for his car to be repaired after it was damaged during a storm in August.