title: Canada moving backwards on illegal drugs.
abstract: Internationally, illegal drug use remains a major public health problem. In response, many countries have begun to shift their illegal drug policies away from enforcement and towards public health objectives. Recently, both the Global Commission on Drug Policy and the Supreme Court of Canada have endorsed this change in direction, supporting empirically sound illegal drug policies that reduce criminalization and stigmatization of drug users and bolster treatment and harm reduction efforts. Until recently, Canada was a participant in this growing movement towards rational drug policy. Unfortunately, in recent years, policy changes have made Canada one of the few remaining advocates of a "war-on-drugs" approach. Indeed, the current government has implemented a number of new illegal drug policies that contradict well-established scientific evidence from public health, criminology and other fields. As such, their approach is expected to do little to reduce the harms associated with substance use in Canada. The authors call on the current government to heed the recommendations of the Global Commission's report and learn from the many countries that are innovating in illegal drug policy by prioritizing evidence, human rights and public health.
authors.affiliation: Addiction and Mental Health Research Lab, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hyshka
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Butler-McPhee
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kerr
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*