A national organization representing 20,500 social workers wants Ottawa to eliminate criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of heroin, cocaine and other illegal drugs, despite controversy surrounding British Columbia's decriminalization experiment.Blacklock's Reporter says the Canadian Association of Social Workers made the recommendation in a written submission to the House of Commons health committee, arguing Canada's approach to drug addiction is failing people who need treatment.The association says criminal penalties discourage drug users from seeking medical assistance and make it harder for them to find housing and employment.“Canada’s response to the toxic opioid crisis remains undermined by two connected policy failures,” the organization stated.“People face fragmented and unaffordable mental and substance use health services, while personal possession continues to expose them to criminal penalties.”The association recommended “that the government decriminalize possession of small quantities of psychoactive substances for personal use.”The proposal would replace criminal penalties for personal possession with an approach focused on health services and addiction treatment.“Criminalization can deepen stigma, discourage access to prevention and care and create lasting barriers to housing and employment,” the submission stated.“These consequences can compound the conditions that already put people’s health at risk and reinforce the need to replace punitive responses with a coordinated public health approach.”The organization also argued that criminal records can make it more difficult for people struggling with addiction to rebuild their lives.“Criminal records and fear of enforcement can destabilize housing and employment, deepen stigma and make engagement with health and social services more difficult,” it wrote.“A health-based response must therefore remove criminal penalties for personal possession.”.The submission did not address the controversy surrounding British Columbia's decriminalization experiment, which began in January 2023 and faced mounting criticism over public drug use and disorder.BC subsequently moved to restore restrictions on public drug consumption in 2024.The social workers' recommendation follows a September 29 British Columbia Supreme Court ruling concerning the constitutional rights of people with serious drug dependencies.Justice Catherine Murray ruled that the federal prohibition on possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking breached Charter rights in the circumstances examined by the court.“Persons with serious drug dependencies and substance use disorders, especially those situated in the downtown east side of Vancouver, are disproportionately impacted by the Controlled Drugs And Substances Act prohibition on possession for the purpose of trafficking,” Murray wrote.The court suspended enforcement of its ruling for six months, allowing time for a legal response.An appeal is pending.The ruling concerns possession for the purpose of trafficking, rather than simply possessing small quantities of illegal drugs for personal consumption.Meanwhile, federal government documents have acknowledged concerns about public disorder during British Columbia's decriminalization experiment.A 2025 Department of Health briefing note titled Supplemental Binder For The Deputy Minister Of Health identified overlapping social problems contributing to drug-related disturbances.“Compounding social crises including the housing crisis and the toxic illegal drug and overdose crisis are contributing to drug-related issues and public disorder in communities,” the department stated.“In response, several municipalities and Indigenous communities have declared states of emergency, calling for action from all orders of government.”Federal health figures released June 15 also showed an increase in overdose deaths during the period of decriminalization in BC..Statistics compiled by the British Columbia Coroners Service indicated overdose deaths increased 16.5% during the 15-month decriminalization period compared with the preceding 15 months.The figures subsequently showed a decline in deaths after police resumed enforcement of certain drug laws.However, those comparisons alone do not establish whether decriminalization or its reversal caused the changes in overdose deaths.The Canadian Association of Social Workers maintains that removing criminal penalties for personal possession, alongside improved access to treatment and social services, is necessary to address Canada's ongoing addiction crisis.
