#DecriminalizeNow

The issue: The overdose crisis

Accidental opioid-related overdose has been a growing public health crisis for more than two decades. The crisis escalated dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary data from the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario suggests that there were 506 opioid toxicity deaths in Toronto in 2022. While the number of deaths in 2022 are lower than the previous two years, the number of deaths is 71 per cent higher than 2019, 172 per cent higher than 2016 and 269 per cent higher than 2015. 

Decriminalizing simple possession of drugs is an effective way of preventing overdose deaths. Continued criminalization of drug possession stigmatizes substance use and people who use certain substances. This stigma creates barriers to health care and forces people to use alone – factors that increase the risk of death from overdose. 

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police have endorsed decriminalizing simple possession as a response to the overdose crisis.