(Quebec) Minister Lionel Carmant was pressed to decriminalize simple possession of drugs on Tuesday as part of consultations on his Bill 36 to recover money linked to the opioid crisis.
The request was made by the Association of Dependency Workers of Quebec (AIDQ) to the National Assembly. According to the organization, this is an “essential measure to reduce stigma and facilitate access to health care and social services” for consumers.
“For us, decriminalizing means removing the weight of stigma,” said AIDQ general director Sandhia Vadlamudy.
Lionel Carmant questioned the organization about this proposal, but did not seem keen on the idea. When the bill was tabled three weeks ago, the minister said that his government was not there yet.
“Until now, we have preferred to observe what was happening in the west, in Vancouver,” the minister said on Tuesday.
British Columbia decriminalized simple drug possession in early 2023 due to the overdose crisis hitting hard in that province. This is a three-year pilot project approved by Health Canada.
However, in early October, British Columbia announced that it would ban drug use in public.
The AIDQ affirms that we must think about how to implement decriminalization in the Quebec context. Sandhia Vadlamudy explains that the training of police officers, but also of other actors, whether in the health or community sector, is essential.
She also adds that we must think about the question of the quantity of drugs that qualifies as simple possession.
Montreal public health recommended decriminalization last year.
“The current model no longer works”
The parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, affirms that Quebec is due for reflection on the subject of decriminalization for simple possession.
“This is what public health and police chiefs are telling us to do. […] I think we have reached this point in Quebec, because the current model no longer works,” he said at a press briefing at the National Assembly.
Questioned on the subject, the interim Liberal leader, Marc Tanguay, simply replied: “Today, we are not there. »
The Parti Québécois side indicates that it does not have a position on this specific issue.
Joining British Columbia
The objective of Bill 36 is for Quebec to join the request for class action brought by British Columbia against more than 40 pharmaceutical companies which are accused of having trivialized the harmful effects of opioids.
In 2018, British Columbia filed a class action request against 40 pharmaceutical companies on behalf of the federal government, provinces and territories. Among the companies targeted are Jean Coutu, Johnson & Johnson and Loblaw.
The Western Province says manufacturers made false representations about the addiction risk of opioids. In particular, they allegedly failed to mention the side effects and withdrawal symptoms.
Distributors are also blamed for allowing the market to be flooded with opioids, contributing to the crisis currently being experienced across the country.
It is still too early to assess how much money Quebec could receive with this recourse.