Saskatoon police board decides more study needed on drug decriminalization

Saskatoon's Board of Police Commissioners has asked the city's police force to continue its research on simple drug decriminalization.

The topic of decriminalization, where charges are not laid against people who are carrying a small amount of illegal drugs for personal use, is picking up momentum across the country. Cities like Toronto and Vancouver have formally asked the federal government to be excused from simple possession laws.

On Thursday, the board asked police to look into which model of decriminalization would work best in Saskatchewan, including looking at potential ways to deal with the federal law.

"We recognized that drug use is best addressed through health and not through justice intervention," said board vice-chair Kearney Healy in an interview after the meeting.

"Put simply, it's a good idea, but how are we going to do it?"

Police noted in a report discussed Thursday that many drug possession charges never make it through the court system. According to police, about 78 per cent of all possession charges last year were either withdrawn, stayed or dismissed.

Police Chief Troy Cooper said in the absence of any changes to federal law, police are left up to their own discretion on whether or not to lay charges.

Cooper said he prefers that courts decide what charges will be prosecuted versus having that decision left up to police. He said he favoured approaches that divert people away from the justice system, like the drug court system present in other parts of the province.

"Chiefs of police in Saskatchewan and Canada have lobbied for many years to find pathways out of justice and into health care [for drug decriminalization]," he said.

"That doesn't mean that they won't address the possession of those drugs initially, but as that front-line response, assist in finding ways to move someone from a criminal justice program to a health-care justice process."

Advocates of decriminalization have said that the issue of drug use should be removed from the justice system and looked at as a health issue. They say possession convictions have the potential to affect people's future job prospects and volunteer opportunities.

Healy said he believes decriminalization will eventually happen across the country.

"I think the momentum and the need to get this done is probably unstoppable," he said.

"The simple criminalization of drugs approach has been insufficient."

The police board said it wanted to hear from community groups as well as people who use drugs before making any decisions. It also wanted to share all reporting with the province's Drug Task Force.

The new report is expected this winter.