Groups decry 'punitive,' 'coercive' drug policies in letter to federal ministers

A coalition of eight advocacy groups is decrying Canada’s “devastating” drug policy that advocates say is doing more harm than good in the country’s fight against the illicit drug overdose crisis.

The groups sent a co-written letter to three federal ministers on Monday, criticizing the country’s drug policy as “punitive” and “coercive” and urging Ottawa to “issue a public statement denouncing all forms” of involuntary care aimed at drug users across Canada.

Corey Ranger, president of co-authoring group Harm Reduction Nurses Association, said while programs such as mandatory treatment of overdose patients infringe on individual rights, there is an equal amount of concern over how effective they are in the first place.

“The reality is

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