A poll by the Liberal government shows Canadians are concerned about drug decriminalization

Months before British Columbia attempted to scale back a drug decriminalization pilot project, a federal government poll suggested to officials that a majority of Canadians believed the policy would lead to an increase in overdoses.

The results of the 11-page survey conducted by the Privy Council Office, a wing of the federal bureaucracy that supports the Prime Minister’s Office, also suggested that Canadians were divided over whether decriminalization would make their communities safer.

“I think people think (decriminalization) will somehow enable drug use,” said Thomas Kerr, professor and chair of the department of social medicine at the University of British Columbia and director of research at the BC Center on Substance Use.

Kerr says similar views have been expressed about supervised drug use sites and even needle exchange facilities, adding that fears that they would lead to increased use have not been realized “in reality”.

He also said: “People have really overestimated the effects of decriminalization, both positive and negative.”

Decriminalization has become a political lightning rod in recent weeks after the NDP government in British Columbia reversed course and asked police to regain the power to arrest people or seize illegal drugs when they are used in public spaces.

The move came after months of concerns about drug use in public places, including hospitals.

The federal Conservatives have taken up the issue and pressed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals to rule out granting a federal waiver to any other jurisdictions seeking to pursue decriminalization programs to reduce opioid-related deaths.

Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre describes the policy as the legalization of hard drugs.

Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Ya’ara Saks defended the decision to authorize the BC pilot project as one tool to combat the overdose crisis, which she says is being fueled by an increasingly toxic drug supply.

It recently rejected Toronto’s multi-year application to participate in a similar program, telling The Canadian Press it was because its application did not set limits on the amount of drugs a person could possess or any age limits.

There is currently no new request from the city or from places like Halifax or Montreal, Saks recently told the House of Commons after pressure from the Tories.

“People are dying because of drugs, not because of decriminalization,” Saks said.

Since 2016, when Health Canada began tracking what Kerr called “Canada’s worst public health crisis in modern history,” more than 40,000 people have died from opioid-related deaths.

BC became the first jurisdiction in Canada to pilot decriminalization of small amounts of illicit drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and MDMA for three years, starting in January 2023. The province has long been ground zero for the country’s overdose crisis.

Officials and others promoting decriminalization say it is a way to reduce stigma among drug users and encourage them to get help rather than go to jail.

In the weeks after launching the pilot, the federal government decided to survey Canadians about their attitudes toward decriminalization and drug use in general.

Health Canada published the study results last fall on a section of the government’s website that includes infographics, bulletins, advisories and other publications on health-related topics.

Early last year, the Privy Council Office conducted a survey of two random samples of 2,000 Canadians.

It found that 49 percent of respondents said that when it came to substance use among drug users, they would prefer to focus on health and social services, compared to 35 percent who thought the police also played a role.

Although women and people with higher incomes tended to prefer a health-focused approach, the findings suggest that men and people with lower incomes were more likely to prefer a police response.

It noted that “Canadian-born respondents” were also more likely to support a health approach, while immigrants were more likely to see a place for policing.

On the issue of decriminalization, the survey found that 51 percent of respondents agreed with the statement: “I believe that decriminalizing drugs would increase the harms associated with drug use, such as overdoses.”

This compares with 38 percent who said they disagreed and 7 percent who said they neither agreed nor disagreed.

The survey results suggest that most believe decriminalization would make it easier to access services such as recovery and treatment. Most also said they sympathized with people struggling with drug addiction.

Still, 43 percent of respondents said they agreed that their community would be less safe, compared to 46 percent who disagreed. Another eight percent did not respond.

Saks’ office highlighted the finding, which suggests people empathize with those struggling and believe decriminalization will make it easier to access support.

“It was clear from the outset that the waiver would be rigorously monitored, evaluated and adjusted as necessary, guided by the dual goals of public health and public safety,” the email said.

“We are focused on ensuring that people who use drugs can be transitioned out of the criminal justice system and into the health care system.”

Kerr said that while he believes there is a place for public education when it comes to specific harm reduction policies, it would be “highly irresponsible” for policymakers to base their decisions on public sentiment.

On social media, NDP harm reduction critic Gord Johns pointed fingers at both Conservatives and Liberals in response to the polls.

“It is harmful enough that conservatives spread disinformation and then fundraise for the tragic deaths caused by the toxic drug crisis,” Johns said in an X Friday post.

“But it’s also disgusting to hear that liberals are making health policy based on polls! Stigma is common.”

Kerr said it appears the “pendulum is swinging” and there is “right-wing” opposition to some drug policies in the country.

This includes not only decriminalizing possession, but also providing drug users with alternative pharmaceuticals to keep them away from toxic drugs – an approach known as safe supply.

Poilievre has set a specific target for such programs, promising that a future Conservative government will place greater emphasis on treatment and recovery options.

“The question always comes up: What do you do for people who are not in treatment or have just left a treatment program and have relapsed,” Kerr said.

“We need to keep these people alive, free from disease and with dignity.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2024.