ANALYSIS: Ontario’s Shuttering of Drug Sites Near Schools Part of a National Trend

The Ontario government’s recent ban on supervised drug consumption sites near schools and child care centres is the latest part of a countrywide step back from the national harm reduction approach to drug addiction. The ideology of harm reduction, which advocates for a so-called safer supply of opioids and the decriminalization of hard drugs, held a dominant position in Canadian addiction policy as recently as last year. It has since fallen out of favour as politicians, addressing a growing discontent among the public, have shifted their focus to treatment and rehabilitation. Those critical of the harm reduction policy have pointed to increases in crime, drug overdose deaths, and illegal drug distribution since implementation of supervised drug sites and safer supply drug programs....