Since the Department of Justice Canada heads the national anti-drug strategy, it's a pleasure for me, as the acting head, to be here today to say a few words about the strategy.
The strategy aims to contribute to safer and healthier communities through coordinated efforts to prevent use, treat dependency, and reduce production and distribution of illicit drugs. The strategy is a collaborative effort involving 12 federal partner departments and agencies, with $515.9 million allocated for this current five-year cycle of 2012-2017.
The strategy includes 22 programs that are delivered through three action, prevention and treatment plans, managed by Health Canada. Public Safety Canada is responsible for enforcing the act.
The strategy focuses on illicit drugs, as set out in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Since the launch of the strategy in 2007, misuse of prescription drugs has emerged as a significant public health and public safety issue, resulting in addictions, overdoses, fatalities, and crime.
Prescription drugs are often obtained from the medicine cabinet of a friend or a family member. They're also being diverted and distributed through many of the same illegal channels that are used by illicit crime groups, that is, organized crime. Prescription drugs are obtained through armed robberies and break-ins of pharmacies, fraudulent use of the health care system, such as double-doctoring and forgeries, sales by individuals taking advantage of the lucrative street markets, and illegal Internet sales.
While some federal departments address misuse of prescription drugs as part of their mandates, it requires a policy authority expansion to use some of the national anti-drug strategy money towards addressing this important issue.
In the 2013 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada committed to expanding the NADS policy authority—I say NADS for national anti-drug strategy—to address prescription drug abuse. There's also been strong consensus among stakeholders, including first nations groups, medical and research communities, and enforcement and pharmaceutical communities, that collaborative action is needed.
Paul.