Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ladies and gentlemen of the Standing Committee on Health, thank you for including us in this consultation.
Canada is in the midst of a massive public health crisis causes in large part by contaminated unregulated drugs on the illegal market. More than 47,000 people have died in our communities since January 2016. That's more than the number of Canadian soldiers killed during the Second World War. The scale of the problem indicates the need for an urgent, adapted, nationwide response.
Members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy identified Canada as a country that stands out thanks to its bold pursuit of policies infused with a human rights and public health approach. However, existing solutions are no longer an adequate response to the scale of the needs and cannot attenuate the crisis. We need to do more to prevent premature, avoidable deaths, expand access to voluntary treatment, enhance prevention, ensure a regulated supply and reduce the burden on the judicial system.
The overdose crisis has been less severe in Quebec than in other provinces, but it is present nonetheless. Many indicators suggest it is getting worse. The province's approach to addiction is a continuum involving prevention, research, harm reduction and treatment. The social safety net has certainly contributed to reducing the prevalence of overdose and avoiding additional pressure on the health and social services system. Acting on the social determinants of this crisis is crucial. The lack of social housing and resources in certain sectors exacerbates health and social coexistence problems.
In addition to tackling aggravating factors, the toxic drug supply and the immediate on-the-ground response, we need to enhance upstream prevention. We need to stop the bleeding and manage emergencies.
Criminalization aggravates stigmatization, which leads to hidden consumption and delays access to resources and treatment. It increases pressure on the judicial system without truly tackling drug toxicity. In 2020, criminal justice costs related to the use of drugs other than alcohol, tobacco and cannabis exceeded $10 billion.
The Association pour la santé publique du Québec believes that recent political debates across the country threaten the continuity of harm reduction resources. Sometimes, these resources are a person's last link to care and treatment, a pivotal role for people with no access to health care resources. Sometimes, there's no other way to reach those people.
Brain lesions due to oxygen deprivation during overdose can aggravate mental health and addiction problems and make people less likely to access supervised consumption services. Not only will that increase the death toll, but it may also result in more permanent health complications.
Supervised consumption services are crucial to making a safe, clean, legal structure available. Detox and therapy are essential, but they have to be part of a continuum of resources. There is no evidence that forced treatment is effective, and it exposes people to a higher risk of overdose. We need to start by making treatment accessible, free, adapted and universally available to ensure geographic equality for all.
Prescribing regulated substances significantly reduces the risk of accidental death. However, given the potency of substances on the illegal market, available medications are no longer able to ease withdrawal symptoms. Access to regulated substances is crucial to reducing the effects of drug toxicity. Let's not forget that overdose is typically caused by contaminated drugs, not prescribed drugs.
Addressing overdose is complex. There are no simple solutions. According to a report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the war on drugs is having a disproportionate impact on the poor and on vulnerable groups. This public health crisis calls for a cross-party approach based on scientific evidence so people don't play politics with problems related to overdose.
I'll let my colleague, Marianne Dessureault, finish our presentation.