“For more than a century, from 1900 to 2006, campaigns of nonviolent resistance were more than twice as effective as their violent counterparts in achieving their stated goals. By attracting impressive support from citizens, whose activism takes the form of protests, boycotts, civil disobedience, and other forms of nonviolent noncooperation, these efforts help separate regimes from their main sources of power and produce remarkable results. Combining statistical analysis with case studies of specific countries and territories, Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan detail the factors enabling such campaigns to succeed and, sometimes, causing them to fail. They find that nonviolent resistance presents fewer obstacles to moral and physical involvement and commitment, and that higher levels of participation contribute to enhanced resilience, greater opportunities for tactical innovation, and civic disruption.”
“A sweeping overview of civil resistance movements around the world that explains what they are, how they work, why they are often effective, and why they can fail. Civil resistance is a method of conflict through which unarmed civilians use a variety of coordinated methods (strikes, protests, demonstrations, boycotts, and many other tactics) to prosecute a conflict without directly harming or threatening to harm an opponent. It was been a central form of resistance in the 1989 revolutions and in the Arab Spring, and it is now being practiced widely in Trump’s America. In Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know, Erica Chenoweth—one of the world’s leading scholars on the topic—explains what civil resistance is, how it works, why it sometimes fails, how violence and repression affect it, and the long-term impacts of such resistance.”
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Public support for drug decriminalization is growing. Earlier this year, a nationwide poll found close to 60 per cent of respondents and a majority in every province favoured removing criminal penalties for personal drug poss ession. Last year, almost 200 organizations Canada-wide supported a call to key ministers in the federal government to immediately decriminalize simple drug possession.
As the leader of a newly elected federal government, you have a chance to make a difference. We urge you to prioritize evidence-based drug policy in your new mandate, and to include drug policy reform in the mandates of your new Cabinet
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supervised consumption service lawsuit in Alberta supervised consumption service lawsuit in Alberta
The Government of Alberta is threatening the health and safety of people who use drugs by rolling back reforms introduced by the federal Liberals in 2017 and imposing additional barriers to accessing supervised consumption services. The Liberal reforms in 2017 made it easier to set up harm reduction services in the province. The Government of Alberta has now introduced onerous requirements to service providers and service users that will make it more difficult to access and provide life-saving care.
These requirements include the following:
Providing a name and personal identifying information to access service
Good Neighbourhood agreements that far exceed current consultation requirements that make it virtually impossible to open any new harm reduction sites or renew existing ones
Standards for staff qualification and training that will exclude many people with lived and living experience
Onerous reporting requirements that are impossible for grassroots organizations, often operating out of a tent, to operate
High fines for non-compliance that will bankrupt small agencies
In response, Moms Stop the Harm and the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society (LOPS) have commenced legal action against the Government of Alberta to ensure that no additional barriers to access and provision of life-saving supervised consumption services are introduced.
“We know that our children would not have died had their overdoses taken place at a consumption site. This option was not available to them at the time. We also know how stigma and shame made them hide their use. We strongly oppose the new provincial guidelines as they will create barriers that will keep people from life-saving services. We know how hard it is to grieve someone you love and every overdose reversed is a family that does not need to arrange a funeral. This is why we launched this lawsuit together with LOPS—to save lives and to give people hope for the future.”
Both organizations argue that these changes—introduced in “Guidelines” by the Government of Alberta—conflict with the federal government’s goal of improving access to harm reduction services in 2017. They also allege that the Guidelines breach sections 2(a), 2(b), 7, 8, 12, and 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
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This past week laid bare the dark history of Canada’s colonial past: 215 bodies of Indigenous children were uncovered on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia, on the territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc peoples. The horrific realities seized even the attention of the international media and government flags have been lowered to mark the tragic discovery.
We take pause in our work on drug policy in Canada to once again remember that our current drug policies have colonial and racist roots and that our work ahead is to stand with and support Indigenous Peoples and work together to create policies that end the discrimination, oppression and other devastating consequences so many experience.
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The discovery of these unmarked graves makes clear what Canadians must acknowledge: that Canada is founded on and continues to operate through colonial, systemically racist systems that continue to cause significant harm to Indigenous communities. Make no mistake, this was genocide. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, said to the media,
“This is the reality of the genocide that was, and is, inflicted upon us as Indigenous Peoples by the colonial state. Today we honour the lives of those children, and hold prayers that they, and their families may finally be at peace.”
The memory of this atrocity and commitment to reconciliation must not fade with the passage of time; and governments must step up and fully commit to justice for and self-determination of Indigenous communities. As a coalition committed to transforming Canada’s drug policies to those that support and empower Indigenous Peoples, we are committed to working with Indigenous organizations to dismantle a drug policy framework that has had such devastating impacts.
At this time, we encourage you to support Indigenous organizations working towards transformation and healing for the survivors of residential schools and ask you to consider donating to the Indian Residential School Survivor Society, an organization that has been providing support for survivors for over 20 years in British Columbia.
Memorial on the steps of the BC Legislature; Victoria; 2021
Along with voicing support and outrage on social media, we can write to our Members of Parliament and show our commitment by supporting Indigenous-led organizations who are best positioned to provide healing during this traumatic time.
Let this not be a flashpoint moment that dims with the next “big news story,” and let us become even more committed to having difficult conversations with our friends and families about what it means to truly seek reconciliation. Silence and apathy must end here as we move towards justice for and reconciliation with Indigenous communities across Canada.
overdoses in ontario during covid overdoses in ontario during covid
“High rates of opioid-related deaths across Canada have been a significant and longstanding national public health issue.1 In 2019, there were almost 4,000 opioid-related deaths across the country, of which over 94% were accidental.2 The COVID-19 pandemic emerged in the midst of this ongoing epidemic of opioid-related deaths, and resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency in Ontario on March 17, 2020.3 Within Ontario, the pandemic response has consisted of waves of public health restrictions of varying severity to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. “
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Vancouver, B.C.—A broad-based Canada-wide coalition of human rights, drug policy, community, and drug user organizations are raising serious concerns about a proposed model for drug decriminalization that will be submitted to the federal government for approval. If adopted, the flawed “Vancouver Model,” as proposed by the City of Vancouver, could be a precedent-setting policy change—the first of its kind in Canada—that could pave the way for other cities to follow suit, including communities in Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec among others. It is therefore critical that this initial model gets decriminalization right by centering the health and rights of people who use drugs, as well as the needs of their loved ones and communities.
“The mayor personally guaranteed to involve people who use drugs all the way along. But instead, the city met with police behind closed doors and cooked up a restrictive regime. They locked us out and never told us the details until it was a fait accompli,” says Garth Mullins, with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users.
“If I was still using as much heroin as I used to, the mayor’s ‘Vancouver Model’ would re-criminalize me, not set me free. But it’s not too late to fix this.”
~Garth Mullins, Member, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users
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Committed to the health and human rights of people who use drugs and progressive, evidence-based drug policy reforms, the coalition is calling on the federal government to address three critical flaws inherent to the current Vancouver Model. These flaws are outlined in a public statement, Decriminalization Done Right: A Human Rights and Public Health Vision for Drug Policy Reform, released today, and are:
1.Lack of meaningful engagement of people who use drugs in designing a system that was meant for them. People who use drugs have not been meaningfully consulted, and this has resulted in a proposal that does not reflect the current realities of drug use. This will ultimately diminish the success of the proposed plan to decriminalize personal possession of drugs in Vancouver. A system co-developed by those at the centre of the issue is far more likely to succeed. The coalition is calling on the Government of Canada and City of Vancouver to engage people who use drugs in a substantive and meaningful way.
2. Drug threshold amounts for decriminalized possession are too low. Health Canada has asked the City of Vancouver to propose threshold amounts for each drug that a person may legally possess. Threshold quantities—depending on how they are set—can provide clarity and advance the health and human rights of people who use drugs. However, if set too low, these thresholds can render a proposal for decriminalization largely meaningless and lead to harm. The thresholds proposed by Vancouver are far too low, failing to reflect the realities of current patterns of drug use. Based on three studies, which Vancouver admits are dated, the proposed thresholds overlook that many people’s drug tolerance and purchasing patterns have dramatically increased and that the drug market itself has changed because of COVID-19. Consultations with people who use drugs only occurred after thresholds were submitted to Health Canada. The coalition is calling on Health Canada and or the City of Vancouver to amend the proposed thresholds to more realistic levels after meaningful consultation with people who use drugs. “The inclusion and impact of unrealistic thresholds will partially negate the intent of a decriminalization law, and will keep people in the shadows,” says Leslie McBain, co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm.
“The criminalization of people who use drugs and the stigma that comes with it has long-lasting negative consequences for individuals, including fear within their families and friends. Criminalization causes instability and fear for people who use drugs who often, as a consequence, use illicit drugs alone and die alone.”
~Leslie McBain, Co-founder, Moms Stop the Harm
3. Police are dictating the parameters of decriminalization. From the beginning, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has been involved in the design of this proposal. This is extremely concerning because “de”-criminalization is meant to remove police involvement from a policy intervention, not give them a greater role by allowing them considerable input in its design. As the City of Vancouver has stated, the current model is meant to be a public-health focused, evidence-based policy. Given the extent to which police actions have historically worked at cross-purposes with health and harm reduction efforts, we have significant concerns about the extensive role of the VPD in this process. There is no legal or other basis requiring police to have the input. We call on the City of Vancouver to remove police influence from the process and the form of decriminalization being proposed to Health Canada.
“We call for an approach to drugs based on best practices, including the full participation of people affected by drug criminalization. Several municipalities in Quebec have taken steps in this direction and some have urged the federal government to decriminalize simple possession and put an end to the harmful reprisals experienced by drug users and their families,” says Sandhia Vadlamudy, Executive Director of L’Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec.
“Quebec municipalities, including Montreal, must avoid the trap present in the model developed by Vancouver. AIDQ supports efforts to ensure that Quebec adopts an inclusive and non-stigmatizing posture with people who use drugs. We must support and not punish.”
~Sandhia Vadlamudy, Executive Director, L’Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec
Furthermore, the proposed model does not adequately address the intergenerational harm caused by the over-policing and structural stigma directed at Indigenous and Black communities and people of colour who disproportionately feel the impacts of prohibition. Any proposal—if it is to succeed—must address this reality. #DecrimDoneRight should be based on evidence and good public policy, not police objectives.
Finally, the proposed model does not meet the needs of young people, and explicitly excludes youth under age 19 from the benefits of decriminalization. Instead, the model affirms the discretionary power of police, continuing a worrying trend of maintaining police as the primary resource available to youth, who are stigmatized and targeted for their drug use specifically because of their age.
“There’s no good reason to continue criminalizing people for simple drug possession in Canada, but there is plenty of evidence that our current laws cause significant harm. To realize the benefits of decriminalization, the federal Minister of Health must insist that the thresholds reflect real-world use and the input of people who use drugs.”
~Sandra Ka Hon Chu, Director of Research and Advocacy, HIV Legal Network
Contacts
Dr. Thomas Kerr — Senior scientist at BC Centre on Substance Use and professor in the Department of Medicine at University of British Columbia: 604-314-7817 (can speak to threshold amounts)
Garth Mullins — Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Crackdown Podcast: [email protected]
Jean-Sébastien Fallu —Université de Montréal (French/English): [email protected], 514-777-5948
Download our primer, which outlines why and how provincial and municipal governments should request such an exemption.
Additional Quotes
“People who use drugs need support, acceptance, and inclusion. We have to move forward and stop structurally stigmatizing them by our drug laws and policies. They are neither criminals nor sick” (Jean-Sébastien Fallu, Université de Montréal)
“Nurses in British Columbia have been calling for decriminalization for two years. Vancouver had the opportunity to develop a model in partnership with people most impacted by decriminalization and using best practices of consultation, engagement, and transparency. It failed to do so. The proposed model will continue to punish and harm people who use drugs, and maintain barriers to health care. It does not align with a health care approach.” (Marilou Gagnon, Harm Reduction Nurses Association)
“Youth must be involved meaningfully and equitably in the co-development of policies that are going to impact them, which has not happened with the development of the ‘Vancouver Model.’ The institutions currently involved do not speak on behalf of youth and the proposal does not reflect the realities of young people and drug use. Any model that does not include youth is not truly decriminalization.” (Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Vancouver Chapter)
Decriminalization Done Right Decriminalization Done Right
SIGN ON LETTER: As organizations and individuals committed to the liberation of people who use drugs, and progressive, rights-based drug policy reforms including decriminalization, we, the undersigned, call on the City of Vancouver to address three major concerns regarding its current application to the federal Health Minister to decriminalize simple drug possession locally. We also call on Health Canada and the federal Health Minister, Patty Hajdu, to refrain from imposing unnecessary and unjustified restrictions on any exemption issued to enable decriminalization in Vancouver or other municipalities or provinces that may follow suit, and we call on the Vancouver Police Department to stand down, vacate the process of decriminalization, and sign off on community-established thresholds [Read more]
#DecrimDoneRight involves co-development with people who use drugs.
Contact us to add your organization’s name to the letter
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Signed,
AIDS Network Kootenay Outeach and Support Society Amnesty International Canada Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec (AIDQ) AVI Health and Community Services BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres BC Civil Liberties Association Brockville’s Overdose Outreach Team Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs (CAPUD) Canadian Drug Policy Coalition Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (National) Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy Vancouver Canadian Psychedelic Association Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation Community-Based Research Centre Each+Every East Kootenay Network of People who Use Drugs Harm Reduction Nurses Association HIV Legal Network Moms Stop the Harm Pivot Legal Society South Riverdale Community Health Centre (Toronto) Thunderbird Partnership Foundation
“During COVID-19 and its aftermath it is important to consider the impacts of the pandemic and social and physical isolation on women’s health. This sheet explores adaptations to practice for service organizations and frontline workers, to respond to concerning trends in intimate partner violence (IPV) and substance use in the COVID-19 context.” Source: CCSA
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Vancouver model for decriminalization Vancouver model for decriminalization
We write now to urge you to develop a “Vancouver Model” for decriminalization that is appropriately broad and responds to the aspirations and needs of people who use drugs: principally, an exemption must apply to all substances scheduled under the CDSA, to all quantities of substances where possession is for personal use (regardless of the amount possessed), to all instances of transferring drugs (e.g,. splitting, sharing, selling) of quantities below specified thresholds, and must not include other unnecessary restrictions or conditions (administrative or otherwise) that would undermine the benefits of decriminalization.
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