Marijuana may be legal in Canada, but the medical officer of health in Chatham-Kent is calling on the federal government to decriminalize the recreational use of narcotics, including opioids.
Dr. David Colby told a weekly teleconference on Thursday the criminal code in Canada is outdated and Canada needs to decriminalize recreational narcotics to address the complicated issue of opioid overdoses.
Colby said the public health unit is keeping a close eye on the opioid overdose problem in Chatham-Kent. CKPH reported opioid overdoses across Chatham-Kent were record-setting last month during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Colby said Portugal and Uruguay have had fewer overdoses since decriminalizing the recreational use of narcotics and he believes Canada can too.
"Bring this out of the shadow of the underworld and the stigma that goes with illegal activities and consider this as more of a public health issue," said Colby.
Colby said enforcement has not worked and it's far better to offer pharmaceutical-grade opiates at a safe and clean injection site than to leave those hooked to the mercy of the black market with all of its pitfalls.
"Impure drug supplies, back alley filthy injection conditions trying to find the financial resources to support their dependency for which there is no cure," he added.
Colby said 80 per cent of narcotic users become dependent after being prescribed opiates and added stress just compounds the problem.
"They don't start with any intention of entering the underworld of criminal activity. This is something we really need to address but we are stymied by criminal code of Canada," said the doctor.
Colby said opioid overdoses are on the rise mainly because more drugs are available and they're stronger or more impure in some cases.
CAO Don Shropshire also said domestic violence is up across Chatham-Kent over the past few months.
CKHA CEO Lori Marshall added the hospital has also seen more mental health issues during the pandemic.
