3.7 Next Steps for Canada
In 2018, the Government of Canada held a 90-day public consultation to gather ideas from Canadians on future directions for drug control policies. In June of 2019, the results of the consultation were made public in a report entitled What we heard: Strengthening Canada’s approach to substance use.
Common themes in the report What we Heard: Strengthening Canada’s Approach to Substance Use (2019) include the need:
- To address the stigma and discrimination experienced by PWUS that act as barriers to care and treatment.
- For more research in order to better understand substance use issues (e.g., underlying and root causes).
- For improved access to high quality treatment (medication and non-medication assisted) and harm reduction programs in both urban and rural/remote areas across Canada.
- To tailor services “to meet the needs of individuals and groups” to ensure that services are culturally appropriate and designed with community input.
- To change the criminal justice system. For example, eliminate penalties tied to substance use and move to a health care focus for people experiencing SUD.
- To minimize harms tied to alcohol use issues (e.g., increase awareness, policy change, develop a national alcohol strategy).
(Canada, June 2019).
There is a lot that can be done to support people who use substances in our communities. Although there is a long way to go to help Canadians feel supported and to increase primary and secondary prevention efforts in our communities, it is important that we focus on SDoH when looking at ways to address substance use and substance use issues in Canada.
