Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the witnesses for being here.
On this committee we all agree that the opioid death crisis in this country is sobering. Since 2016, we have had over 20,000 Canadians die from overdose deaths. Last year, in B.C. alone, we had 1,700. That's the deadliest year on record. The last quarter of opioid deaths is the highest that Canada has ever recorded since we started surveilling numbers.
Ms. McBain, what if any is the connection between the federal policy of criminalization of drug use and the harms that come from drug use, including deaths?