SASKATOON
Saskatoon

    • Saskatoon police target drug traffickers, not users, police chief says

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    Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper says the city has "de facto decriminalization" of simple possession of illicit drugs.

    City councillors discussed decriminalization at last month's Governance and Priorities Committee meeting held jointly with the Board of Police Commissioners. Decriminalization would allow those over 18 to have small amounts of drugs in their possession without facing criminal charges.

    There are two ways to decriminalize drug possession, Cooper told CTV News in an interview.

    “You can change the law, which they've done in British Columbia now,” Cooper said. “Or you can simply not proceed to charges with someone who's using drugs and who gets caught using drugs. And that already is occurring in Saskatchewan.

    “We know that our officers don't target people who are using drugs. We target people who are selling drugs and trafficking dangerous drugs, and we rarely charge people now with drug possession. Even when we do charge people, almost 80 per cent of the time the Crown doesn't proceed with those charges.

    “The reason we're having these conversations about current policy, to begin with, is the fact we've had this crisis in our province in western Canada, across our country, around drug overdoses and drug deaths and the impact that drugs have had."

    In 2021, 446 people died from overdoses in Saskatchewan. In the first few months of 2022, there were more than 120 suspected drug toxicity deaths.

    “What we want to do is make sure that whatever we're doing in Saskatchewan has the most benefit to people and keeps people as safe as possible,” Cooper said.

    British Columbia became the first place in Canada to allow people to possess 2.5 grams of illegal drugs.

    “I think what decriminalization intends to do is reduce the stigma of using drugs and stop the damage that's done when you take someone who's addicted and put them into a complex criminal justice system. It doesn't actually provide any long-term resolution to their addiction in the first place,” Cooper said.

    “It would allow people to seek out treatment to publicly acknowledge their addiction and those sorts of things without the stigma of being a criminal.”

    He added that decriminalization was just one component of a broader drug policy.

    “Simple decriminalization isn't going to make your community safe. It's not going to stop people from becoming addicted,” he said.

    A report by University of Saskatchewan researchers earlier this year said decriminalization can bring several benefits, including a reduction of criminal activities related to acquiring drugs and reducing the burden on police officers.

    In general, researchers say it may reduce overdose deaths by reducing exposure to toxic and unregulated drug supplies.

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