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Alberta police chiefs say too soon to support drug decriminalization

Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld gives an update to the Calgary Police Commission as they face funding constraints following the 2019 Alberta budget. Tuesday, October 29, 2019.

The association representing Alberta police chiefs says it’s too soon to decriminalize illicit drugs.

Calgary Chief Const. Mark Neufeld, president of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police, says a number of things need to be in place before decriminalization can be seriously considered.

“We would want to make sure that anything we do actually addresses the illicit drug market,” Neufeld explained. “Because if it doesn’t address the illicit drug market, then people are still going to be accessing toxic opioids, so again, a very, very complex subject that actually requires the attention of stakeholders at all levels.”

Neufeld says that would include provincial regulations on drug consumption around minors, public consumption and the operation of vehicles.

He says some aspects of decriminalization are already in place in Alberta, where individuals are typically only charged with personal possession within the context of a public safety concern or other criminal conduct.

Neufeld says decriminalization alone wouldn’t reduce addiction or overdose rates.


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“If you were to just pull sort of one lever and if it was going to be the decriminalization lever, all it would do is just make it easier to possess illicit drugs and also then to see individuals using them in public without the tools being there ahead of time.

“So I think that’s the part that we need to protect the community from, is making sure that there’s a more of a holistic framework.”

He says there needs to be a connection between law enforcement and public health so that people who need help can get it.