SNUD Committee Report
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APPENDIX A: LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS CHAPTER 3: CANADA’S DRUG STRATEGY RECOMMENDATION 1 The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada reaffirm its commitment to addressing the use and harmful use of substances and dependence, by developing, in consultation with provincial/territorial governments and key stakeholders, a renewed, comprehensive, coordinated and integrated Canadian drug strategy to address the use of illicit substances and licit (or legal) substances such as alcohol, tobacco, inhalants and prescription drugs. RECOMMENDATION 2 The Committee recommends that a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy include clear, measurable goals and objectives as well as a process for evaluation and accountability, and, with these components in place, that adequate and sustained funding be allocated. RECOMMENDATION 3 The Committee recommends the appointment of a Canadian Drug Commissioner, statutorily mandated to monitor, investigate and audit the implementation of a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy and to report and make recommendations annually to Parliament, through the Speaker of the House of Commons. RECOMMENDATION 4 The Committee recommends that the Minister of Health be mandated to coordinate the multi-departmental implementation of a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy and to respond to the Canadian Drug Commissioner’s report within 90 days in an annual statement to the Standing Committee on Health, through the House of Commons. RECOMMENDATION 5 The Committee recommends the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, as an independent non-governmental organization, be given the mandate to develop, in consultation with federal, provincial and territorial governments and key stakeholders, the goals, the objectives, the performance indicators and the strategic plan for a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy, which shall be comprehensive, coordinated and integrated. CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE RECOMMENDATION 6 The Committee recommends that biennial cross-Canada surveys be undertaken as part of a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy to determine the nature, prevalence and trends of all substance use in Canada. RECOMMENDATION 7 Considering the urgent need for Canada-wide data on the use and harmful use of substances and dependence, and the costs and benefits of using a regular health survey to gather such data, the Committee recommends serious consideration be given to integrating questions on licit and illicit substances in every cycle of the Canadian Community Health Survey, every two years. RECOMMENDATION 8 The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada’s contribution to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) be immediately increased to $3 million, with subsequent annual increases to be determined based on the recommendations of the Canadian Drug Commissioner following an annual review and audit of the needs and activities of the CCSA. RECOMMENDATION 9 The Committee recommends that the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction increase its focus on addictions research. RECOMMENDATION 10 The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada, under a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy, provide Health Canada with dedicated research funds to:
RECOMMENDATION 11 The Committee recommends that Health Canada, in consultation with the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and key stakeholders, including substance users, identify research priorities to be supported by dedicated research funds under a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy. CHAPTER 5: THE USE AND HARMFUL USE OF SUBSTANCES: RECOMMENDATION 12 The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada, under a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy, provide sustained funding and resources to develop and implement health-based public awareness, prevention and education programs related to the use and harmful use of substances and dependence, in collaboration with provincial, territorial, municipal authorities and community-based organizations. RECOMMENDATION 13 The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada, under a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy, allocate funds to develop and implement effective Canada-wide mass media prevention and education campaigns related to the use and harmful use of substances and dependence. RECOMMENDATION 14 The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada, under a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy, support the development of up-to-date information on the use and harmful use of substances and dependence, and of appropriate training for the benefit of healthcare professionals and all service providers involved in the field of addictions, in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments. RECOMMENDATION 15 The Committee recommends that a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy explicitly recognize the concept of and contribute toward a continuum of care, including low-threshold services, long-term treatment and recovery services, which would integrate the provision of social services as an essential element of treatment and rehabilitation. RECOMMENDATION 16 The Committee recommends that a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy include abstinence as one of the wide range of successful treatment options that currently exist. RECOMMENDATION 17 The Committee recommends that a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy explicitly recognize the need to provide treatment services in a timely manner and that these services be sensitive to socio-economic, gender and cultural diversity. RECOMMENDATION 18 The Committee recommends the development and delivery of treatment services adapted for individuals with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAS/FAE) or mental health disorders concurrent with the harmful use of substances and dependence. RECOMMENDATION 19 The Committee recommends that a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy include “substitution treatment” such as methadone maintenance as part of a comprehensive approach to the treatment of opiate addiction that includes primary health care, counselling, education and other social services. RECOMMENDATION 20 The Committee recommends that the proposed clinical trials pilot project in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal to test the effectiveness of heroin-assisted treatment for drug-dependent individuals resistant to other forms of treatment be implemented and that these trials incorporate protocols for rigorous scientific assessment and evaluation. RECOMMENDATION 21 The Committee recommends the removal of federal regulatory or legislative barriers to the implementation of scientific trials and pilot projects to determine the effectiveness of new and innovative methods in the treatment of individuals who have developed a pattern of harmful use of substances and dependence. RECOMMENDATION 22 The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada encourage and assist the provincial, regional and municipal authorities to integrate and deliver needle exchange programs through a public health care model including primary health care services as well as prevention and education, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation programs. RECOMMENDATION 23 With regard to safe injection facilities, the Committee recommends that the Government of Canada remove any federal regulatory or legislative barriers to the implementation of scientific trials and pilot projects, and assist and encourage the development of protocols to determine the effectiveness of safe injection facilities in reducing the social and health problems related to injection drug use. RECOMMENDATION 24 The Committee recommends that clear quantitative and qualitative goals be incorporated into all services related to the harmful use of substances, and dependence, together with a performance evaluation process to ensure that prevention, education, treatment, rehabilitation and harm reduction programs are evidence-based and reflect best practices. RECOMMENDATION 25 The Committee recommends that Canada’s Drug Strategy identify harm reduction as a core component of Canadian drug policy that supports interventions to maintain the health of individuals and minimize the public health risks associated with substance use. RECOMMENDATION 26 The Committee recommends that a renewed Canada’s Drug Strategy include in its priorities the development of a strategy relating specifically to the misuse of over-the-counter and prescription drugs in Canada. RECOMMENDATION 27 The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada assist and encourage the provinces and territories in the development and maintenance of comparable real-time databases so as to track better the prescribing and dispensing of commonly misused prescription drugs. CHAPTER 6: SUBSTANCE USE AND PUBLIC SAFETY RECOMMENDATION 28 The Committee recommends continued support for existing Drug Treatment Court pilot projects and, if indicated by evaluation outcomes, the Committee further recommends permanent funding of those Courts, with support for additional sites. RECOMMENDATION 29 The Committee recommends that the Minister of Health and the Minister of Justice propose appropriate amendments to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and/or the Criminal Code to provide a wider range of sentencing options, including treatment, for substance-dependent individuals involved with the criminal justice system. RECOMMENDATION 30 The Committee recommends that Correctional Service Canada be required to develop and implement a three-year plan to reduce substantially the flow of illicit drugs into prisons. The Committee further recommends that the proposed Canadian Drug Commissioner be consulted in setting the goals of the plan and responsible for monitoring results. RECOMMENDATION 31 The Committee recommends that Correctional Service Canada provide incarcerated offenders with access to substitution therapies, such as methadone, based on eligibility criteria similar to those used in the community at large. RECOMMENDATION 32 The Committee recommends that Correctional Service Canada allow incarcerated offenders access to harm-reducing interventions, in order to reduce the incidence of blood-borne diseases, in a manner consistent with the security requirements within institutions. RECOMMENDATION 33 The Committee recommends that Correctional Service Canada continue to promote abstinence as its overriding treatment objective. RECOMMENDATION 34 The Committee recommends that Correctional Service Canada undertake, as a pilot project, the establishment of two federal correctional facilities reserved for offenders who wish to serve their sentence in a substance-free environment with access to intensive treatment and support. RECOMMENDATION 35 The Committee urges Correctional Service Canada to ensure that there are sufficient programs and spaces available to allow offenders access to treatment for substance use, as needed, immediately following their incarceration. RECOMMENDATION 36 The Committee recommends that the Minister of National Revenue improve the effectiveness of interdiction efforts by ensuring that the necessary resources, including state-of-the-art contraband detection equipment, are allocated to border control activities. RECOMMENDATION 37 The Committee recommends that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canada Customs and Revenue Agency be directed to make the additional contributions necessary to provide more effective drug interdiction at major ports, in consultation with local law enforcement agencies. RECOMMENDATION 38 The Committee recommends that a committee of the House of Commons be asked to review and evaluate the operation of the Criminal Code and other recently enacted legislative provisions respecting organized crime and money laundering, to ensure that enforcement agencies have the legislative powers and resources necessary to target those activities effectively. RECOMMENDATION 39 The Committee further recommends that the Seized Property Management Act be amended to ensure that a percentage of the proceeds described in section 10 of the Act, respecting fines imposed and properties forfeited in connection with designated substance offences or enterprise crime offences involving illicit substances, is used to support the work of community-based organizations in implementing Canada’s Drug Strategy (This measure is not intended to replace the core funding of Canada’s Drug Strategy.) RECOMMENDATION 40 The Committee recommends that the possession of cannabis continue to be illegal and that trafficking in any amount of cannabis remain a crime. RECOMMENDATION 41 The Committee recommends that the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Health establish a comprehensive strategy for decriminalizing the possession and cultivation of not more than thirty grams of cannabis for personal use. This strategy should include:
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