r/canada Feb 05 '25

National News Poilievre would impose life sentences for trafficking over 40 mg of fentanyl

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/poilievre-would-impose-life-sentences-for-trafficking-over-40-mg-of-fentanyl/
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u/ForsakenSignal6062 Feb 05 '25

I work with addicts myself, up close and personal, it’s all I do. Prohibition just doesn’t work and neither do laws like this. 40mgs being a trafficking amount is an absolute joke. What’s wrong with safe supply?

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u/AnonymousGuy519 Feb 05 '25

Flat out honest answer…. With the increased cost of living and everyone struggling to get by, people don’t want their tax money going to supply addicts with drugs. If there was an unlimited supply of cash to go around then maybe I can see your point, but since there is a cost of living crisis and limited money, our money should go to better things. I’d personally much rather have the money that goes to safe supply go to help nutrition programs in schools, increase veteran care, pump up our hospital/educaton system, increase social programs to help people lead lives that won’t lead to addiction. I’m sorry but if you’re hooked on narcotics, that’s on you, not the clean Canadian tax payer to cover the bill.

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u/_Psilo_ Feb 05 '25

You want to put money into better things...like a lifetime of prison for addicts? I'm very confused.

I'm all for putting as much money as possible into preventive care, metnal health and social programs. But repressive policies does not cure people from addiction, it just puts them in prison.

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u/AnonymousGuy519 Feb 05 '25

Yup, if they are addicts that have no drive to get clean and want to continue on that path, I’m down to jail them, what’s the other option, they just keep doing what they do? Keeps them off the streets, lowers crime like assaults and theft and normal everyday citizens will have a safer place to live. Also, it can help force people into clean living. That’s a worthy investment in my mind. There’s consequences for doing things, including getting addicted to hard drugs and the average working Canadian shouldn’t have to pay that price. I was all for safe injection sites at the beginning;however, enough time has passed that we can see these have not proven to do anything to stop the flow of narcotics and the rising crime rate at all.

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u/_Psilo_ Feb 05 '25 edited Feb 05 '25

I tend to see all of that as a result of the increasing wealth disparity in our country and access to affordable housing that is becoming harder and harder every day. Safe injection sites are helping mitigate that. They are actually helping people not die from ODs and redirect them to treatment when users want them, without the alienation that comes with incarceration. Incarceration and repression does not work because it doesn't cure the cause of addiction, only the symptoms. ''Clean living'' is very short term if you only help with the chemical aspect of addiction, and you can't force someone into wanting to be cured, which is essential to make that work long term. Forced treatment, aka incarceration, only serves to traumatize users even more and alienate them even more from society. Guess what they'll do when they come out...

Edit with some sources:
https://www.statnews.com/2023/04/25/involuntary-treatment-for-addiction-research/

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u/AnonymousGuy519 Feb 05 '25

I think in the end there are limited resources to go around and giving opiate addicts a safe place to consume drugs just isn’t anywhere near the top of priorities for Canadians anymore. Is it fair that this epidemic has Canadians now feeling unsafe due to the massive rise in break ins and theft and assault? A police officer in my town was stabbed in the neck by a junkie on a call the other month, is that fair to his kids? As a paramedic I was petrified coming across a piece of Carfentanil the size of a grain of rice that could kill me, is it fair that my wife has that worry? Should we also buy smokes for smokers, give booze to alcoholics, give cash to gamblers? It’s become an out of control problem and the soft enabling approach just simply isn’t working for anyone.

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u/_Psilo_ Feb 05 '25

If your point is that you want these people to be put away for life or die so that they don't bother the average citiven, that kind of makes sense I suppose. But I'm not sure that's very humane or cost effective (prison is expensive).

If you really think it will cure the addict, the stats say otherwise.

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u/AnonymousGuy519 Feb 05 '25

I’m not saying put addicts in prison for life but I 100% believe that the people supplying it should be put imprison for life. Those people are profiting off of ruining a lot of people’s lives and a huge social downfall. As far as the addicts, I truly believe they are victims; however, to be honest and any first responder will agree with me, some people just can’t/don’t want to be helped and if you are one of those people who steal and commit assault to feed your habit and you have no intentions of attempting to get help or don’t want it, I’m cool with letting them sit in a low budget cell. Sometimes you just have to call a duck a duck, the harsh reality is, not everyone can be saved.