The Chatham-Kent Board of Health has endorsed the legalization of personal use of all drugs, but that doesn't mean it supports rampant drug use.
The board held its monthly meeting Wednesday morning.
Dr. David Colby, medical officer of health for Chatham-Kent, suggested the board follow in the footsteps of Toronto's medical health officer who suggested the federal government decriminalize possession of all drugs for personal use.
The idea is to reduce overdoses and crime.
"This is about helping people," Colby said. "This isn't about creating a society with no control. That's not where I am going with this. It is simply harm reduction. The current approach is not working and many [problems] seem to be traceable to the illegality"
The main point Colby brought up is the opioid epidemic's root cause is people are getting drugs off the streets with unknown levels of purity. Every time someone does the drug, the amount they take will vary in purity. If they are used to injecting a certain amount and then get a batch with a higher concentration, it can cause an overdoes and that is the problem according to the doctor.
Dr. Colby added if it were decriminalized, professional health officials could administer proper doses in a safe manner. He said it is a much better option than people getting it off the streets. He also said it would reduce crime as the drug is inexpensive when obtained legally. Dr. Colby said that would allow police to focus on keeping the peace.
"The war on drugs has not worked," Dr. Colby said. "We need a new approach to this."
Colby added a lot of community crime is due to people stealing in order to get money to fund their next fix. He said this would also be remedied by decriminalization.
Another point Dr. Colby brought up was the spread of disease associated with drugs would be reduced. He said people wouldn't trade sex for drugs and having safe places to do with drugs would help with injection practices.
While it doesn't mean all drug use will be legal anytime soon, Colby believed it's a step in the right direction.
"Exactly how this could be done, I don't know, but that's part of a broader policy decision," Dr. Colby said. "The first step is to create the legal framework to bring this problem into the light and take it out of the shadows."
The doctor compared it to the prohibition of alcohol. He said when people were reverting to moonshine to get drunk, what they drank could have had any number of toxins in it and caused a lot more harm then legally regulated alcohol.
Dr. Colby directed the board's attention to a 2001 report from the Fraser Institute.
"They suggested the exact same measures that Toronto Public Health approved," Dr. Colby said. "This is not new. This is not revolutionary. This is only common sense."