#DrugDecrimCanada
On International Overdose Awareness Day (August 31, 2021), the Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs (CAPUD), Canada’s national persons who use drugs (PWUD) advocacy group and network, and four individual plaintiffs, Deb Bailey, Charlene Burmeister, Paul Choisil, and Hawkfeather Peterson filed a lawsuit against the Government of Canada in British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver. The individual plaintiffs are all PWUDs or family members of PWUDs resident in BC. CAPUD is a non-profit society that seeks solutions to the ongoing devastating overdose crisis, by representing and raising the voice of people who use(d) drugs throughout Canada in drug and health policy discussions. CAPUD is made up of 560 members in all provinces and two territories, all of whom are current or former drug users…
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VICE WORLD NEWS
A group of drug users and drug policy reform advocates are suing the Canadian government because they say the continued prohibition of drugs is unconstitutional.
The Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs, a non-profit organization, filed a statement of claim Tuesday in B.C. Supreme Court against the Attorney General of Canada arguing that the government is responsible for overdose deaths because it is forcing drug users to buy from a toxic drug supply.
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They’re suing to decriminalize drugs. Now what?
“The election is over. The Liberals are back in Ottawa after a Pyrrhic victory. They will now need to address many tough issues including those raised in a lawsuit brought by the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs (CAPUD) and four individuals. The plaintiffs are asking courts to strike down laws criminalizing the possession of prohibited drugs. This is a drastic but necessary action.”
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Lawsuit filed in B.C. court argues criminalization of drugs is a charter violation
“A group representing drug users has filed a lawsuit against the federal government in British Columbia Supreme Court seeking to decriminalize the possession of illicit drugs, arguing criminalization during the overdose crisis violates charter rights. The statement of claim filed Tuesday by the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs and four individual plaintiffs says drug dependence is well recognized as a medical condition, but criminalization means the toxic illicit market is the only source of most drugs.”
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GoFundMe
The overdose epidemic continues to claim countless lives (nearly 24,000 since 2016) of persons who use drugs (PWUDs), with no end in sight. Numbers continue to grow as the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions have led to an increasingly poisoned illicit drug supply.
In response to the ongoing overdose epidemic that has killed tens of thousands of Canadians. The Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs (CAPUD) is suing the government of Canada to remove the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) penalties (decriminalize) all forms of drug possession and some forms of drug trafficking, in response to the ongoing overdose epidemic in Canada. These criminal penalties create harms for persons who use drugs (PWUD) and prevent PWUD from accessing medical treatment and harm reduction.