Justice committee  People have countless reasons for using drugs. I, myself, am a drug user. I have also been a front-line worker for more than a decade, providing harm reduction and street outreach. I come from a good family. The first time I tried drugs was in college. I started using for certain reasons and I still do.

Justice committee  It affects a person's health in a myriad of ways. I, personally, have a criminal record because of it, and that puts many things out of my reach. It doesn't matter that I work very hard and have been a contributing member of society for more than a decade. I am on boards and do a lot of good for my community.

Justice committee  We do. I'm actually in the National Safer Supply Community of Practice. I'm part of that as a CAPUD member. Yes, we definitely need a lot more than what's in the bill. We need a suite of practices and policies to stop criminalizing drug users. The idea is not to decriminalize drugs; rather, it is to prevent drug users from having criminal convictions hanging over them.

Justice committee  Thank you.