Hamilton supports calls todecriminalizepossession of illegal drugs for personal use, which is already permitted in British Columbia. We are requesting participation in a federal pilot project.
City council members voted 10 to 2 at Wednesday's health committee, lobbying Ottawa politicians to decriminalize possession amid the severities ofopioids. I have asked to be added to the list of jurisdictions that are going through GTA-wide crisis.
READ MORE: Toronto awaits drug decriminalization decision
some Penalties for the illegal manufacture of drugs and calls on the federal government to expand prevention, harm reduction, and treatment services.
Mayor Fred Eisenberger, who essentially drafted the motion through interactions with other public health agencies in Ontario, said drug use was a health problem and was not subject to "morality, willpower, or criminal justice." It states that it is a recognition that it is not a problem of
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"I don't think anyone wakes up in the morning and says, 'I'm going to do all I can to get myself hooked.' It's a substance that's ruining my life," Eisenberger told councilors.
He waited nearly seven months for a request that Toronto decriminalize possession of illegal drugs for personal use.
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In May, B.C. became the first Canadian jurisdiction to receive an exemption from Canada's Controlled Substances and Substances Act. and eliminated criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of some hard drugs.
More than 7,700 British Columbians have died from illegal drug overdoses since the province was declared a public health emergency in 2016.
Three-year exemption for adults aged 18 and over only.
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Substances remain illegal, but opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA for adult personal use under 2.5 grams is no longer arrested, prosecuted, or seized.
Read more: BC
Hamilton's staff reported ED visits, hospitalizations, and poisoning. , data on deaths reveal that substance abuse is increasing year by year in the city.
In 2019, he had 189 deaths from illicit drugs such as opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine.
From 2012 to 2021, he increased his opioid overdose by 494%, according to public health figures, with the majority affecting him from the age of 25 to the age of 44. was an old man.
In 2021, this group accounted for his 46% of opioid overdoses, compared with his 24% recorded in 2012.
Ancaster Coun Lloyd Ferguson and Central Mountain's Esther Pauls were dissenters on the ballot.
Ferguson suggested that legalizing or decriminalizing drugs could escalate crime in the city. will be tempted to buy these black market drugs, resulting in them breaking into cars or breaking into homes to try and get cash for this purchase," Ferguson told councilors. .
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– With files from Canadian Press
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