Justice committee  Now you understand the issue. These workers feel threatened, and society is telling them that they could be apprehended. In that sense, I, too, experience systemic stigma from my fellow physicians. When they find out that I provide care to drug users, they seem surprised that I work with “those people”.

Justice committee  The people we are concerned about are those who do not have the support of their profession in responding to the distress of users who do not want to die but simply want to alleviate their suffering. We work with other professionals including social workers and psychologists, but outreach workers are mainly the ones in direct contact with users on the street.

Justice committee  Thank you for your question. The statistics you referred to represent the worst case. Can it be worse? We are talking about personal use. Our goal is to ensure that people are no longer punished for their illness. That's what matters. Selling, producing and distributing have more to do with public safety than they do with the health of individuals.

Justice committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's an honour to be invited to appear before the committee. I will be speaking from the heart much more than from the head. I am a physician, and my first specialty is infectious diseases, which I've practised in university hospital centres. I also have extensive experience working under a community health model.