Valérie Plante will push for the
decriminalization of drugs
During a meeting with about thirty community organizations held Wednesday, the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, committed to make representations to Ottawa for the decriminalization of drugs, according to information collected by Le Devoir.
It was representatives of groups who took part in the private meeting at City Hall who told Le Devoir that the mayor is committed to implementing the next steps so that possession of small amounts of hard drugs is no longer considered a criminal offence.
This is already the case in British Columbia, where a pilot project has been underway since the beginning of the year. It will continue until January 2026, after which its effectiveness will be evaluated by Ottawa.
According to several organizations, decriminalizing drugs would save lives by reducing the number of overdoses. "Everyone knows that the decriminalization of drugs reduces the number of fatal overdoses, facilitates access to services for people who use, stops the spread of HIV and hepatitis C and reduces the stigma associated with use," explained the executive director of the Association québécoise pour la promotion de la santé des personnes users de drogue, Chantal Montmorency. In 2017, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante signed the 2014 Paris Declaration, a global agreement to end the HIV epidemic by 2030
It was representatives of groups who took part in the private meeting at City Hall who told Le Devoir that the mayor is committed to implementing the next steps so that possession of small amounts of hard drugs is no longer considered a criminal offence.
This is already the case in British Columbia, where a pilot project has been underway since the beginning of the year. It will continue until January 2026, after which its effectiveness will be evaluated by Ottawa.
According to several organizations, decriminalizing drugs would save lives by reducing the number of overdoses. "Everyone knows that the decriminalization of drugs reduces the number of fatal overdoses, facilitates access to services for people who use, stops the spread of HIV and hepatitis C and reduces the stigma associated with use," explained the executive director of the Association québécoise pour la promotion de la santé des personnes users de drogue, Chantal Montmorency. In 2017, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante signed the 2014 Paris Declaration, a global agreement to end the HIV epidemic by 2030
