Police chiefs, public health authorities, NDP, Greens increasingly united around calls for drug decriminalization amid overdose uptick

'In the pandemic, during the lockdowns, people are using alone a lot more, which is partly why we’ve seen a big spike in overdose deaths,' says Green Party MP Paul Manly, who also pointed to increases in tainted drugs during COVID-19 supply-chain disruptions.

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam pictured speaking with reporters at a media availability on Aug. 4 in West Block to update Canadians on the response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY MIKE LAPOINTE

September 3, 2020

Amid increasing calls from MPs, police chiefs, and public health authorities for the decriminalization of illegal drugs in the midst of a rapidly worsening overdose epidemic, the Trudeau government have made recent moves on safe supply and supervised-consumption sites, while stopping short of promis...

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