This paper analyses the impacts of criminalizing drug possession and related offences in Canada, finding that punitive laws have failed to reduce drug use or improve public safety. Instead, these measures have contributed to poor health outcomes, entrenched stigma, and systemic discrimination, particularly affecting Indigenous, Black, unhoused, and low-income populations. While recent policy discussions have focused on decriminalizing simple possession, penalties for drug trafficking have intensified. The study concludes that this uneven reform may deepen social and health inequities, underscoring the need for comprehensive approaches that align drug policy with public health and human rights objectives.

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