Yes

Certain drugs should be decriminalized. There are various natural substances that have cultural heritage that people should be allowed to utilize, even recreationally. A restructuring of the drug policy should be conducted.

Drugs are a significant problem in Canada, and harsher laws need to be enforced to keep streets clean.

no drugs should allowed unless you have a prescription for them which makes sense for you to have them

I am thinking about countries like Switzerland who have legalized drugs; there isn't a pandemic of drug use in that country. The money spent on police and incarceration is instead spent on helping addicts and their families. This is what I want for our country too.

Drug use is also a bad influence on kids. So not only are you slowly killing yourself, but you're encouraging kids to do the same thinking it's cool when it's just unhealthy.

Drug Policy is not a heavy use, matter of fact it's a really good use for your body and health AS LONG as you don't overdose it.

the lack of restrictions on drugs in canada can lead to the normalization of them to youth, as well as the rise in ADHD meds being prescribed to kids does not have enough research to back up the side affects.

To support a "Yes" position on drug policy reform, focusing on evidence, data, and statistics can be highly effective in demonstrating that such reforms are necessary and beneficial.

The "Yes" position on drug policy often advocates for legalization or decriminalization of drugs, typically based on arguments about personal freedom, harm reduction, and the failure of the war on drugs. While these points have validity, here’s a strong counter-argument to the "Yes" position:

The "No" Argument: The Risks of Legalization and Decriminalization
Public Health Concerns: While drug legalization might reduce incarceration rates, it could also increase drug use and abuse, leading to public health crises. Drugs like opioids, methamphetamines, and coc…  Read moreaine, even if used responsibly by some, can lead to addiction, overdose deaths, and long-term mental health issues. The increased availability of these substances could exacerbate addiction rates, resulting in a heavier burden on healthcare systems, social services, and families.

drugs cause harm to many people and with the use of those it causes harm to other people as people influenced by them can do stupid things

Until such time as the government has a clear and concise implementation plan developed to control the distribution of the drugs, I will say no.

by decriminalizing drug use, you are inadvertently encouraging drug use by not punishing the consumption of them leading to potentially higher overdoses then what we have now and higher crime rates evolving from drug use.

Should be legal for medication, if the drug is legal for "enjoyment" it should be distributed in proper amounts, and in regulation

To some people who have PTSD it is their only way to escape the trauma of what they have experienced.

I agree with @9GHR5BK when they said "Just because you don't die directly doesn't mean someone close to you can't die, millions of people a year all around the world die of drug overdose it is a big issue in communities and can affect younger generations too, it is important to do your research and stay away from harmful drugs that can kill you or damage your body."

Drugs need to be under control again and be illegal because it is getting out of hand. There needs to be stricter laws and even programs that help individuals.

While the Yes position on drug policy advocates for the legalization of drugs, it is important to consider the potential harm that this could cause. One of the main arguments for drug legalization is that it would reduce crime rates and decrease the burden on the criminal justice system. However, this argument ignores the fact that drug use can have serious negative consequences on society as a whole.

Drugs are a significant problem in Canada, and harsher laws need to be enforced to keep streets clean.

Drug users who go to jail are stripped of the drugs they have been using which by going off, could effect their life span or their ability to survive in jail conditions. They will be more reactive and angry at the people around them in a jail space.

For a sad example lets say a man buys cocaine from a new guy since his buddy got locked up and does the same amount as he's used to. Completely unaware 30% was crushed fentanyl and 15% was methamphetamines, as his friend watches him curl over in pain and vomit he just stands not knowing whether to call the police or take him to the hospital, freaking out now worried for his life making his heart race now he didn't know what to say to the police or nurses where to ditch the drugs making him less likely to live. This is a very terrible reality and the good samaritan act does help quite a bit it still leaves so many risks.

More drug use leads to more crime which leads to a larger strain on public resources like police and ems

Drugs are a significant problem in Canada, and harsher laws need to be enforced to keep streets clean

While acknowledging the gravity of the drug poisoning crisis and the importance of evidence-based policies, a counterargument against the Yes position on drug policy could highlight potential drawbacks and dangers associated with some harm reduction measures. Despite the purported benefits of supervised consumption sites, there's a need to critically examine their long-term impact on addiction rates and community well-being. Critics argue that the existence of such sites might inadvertently normalize and perpetuate drug use, possibly leading to increased dependency rather than facilitati…  Read moreng recovery.

For example, in Portugal, drug use was decriminalized in 2001 and while it did take some time to fall, by 2011, about 10 people had died from drug related deaths, nearly a 85% decrease in drug related deaths from 2001, and while it did rise from 2011, it was still well below 2001 levels

Counter-Argument: No, Prioritizing Public Health and Safety

While the "Yes" position on Drug Policy advocates for a more lenient approach, prioritizing public health and safety remains a paramount concern. A more cautious and controlled drug policy can be argued based on the following points:

Drugs can cause people to get addicted to the and if there if is an abcence of them can lead to a downward spiral where if they don't have them, they get more stressed and anxious than before they had it.

i believe that by decriminalizing dugs will only increase dug misuse and create an even bigger because although it may be un though the government system if legalized dugs can only lead to addiction, so legalizing dugs is just creating more problems that they'll have to deal with using the money that comes from the taxpayers

Criminalizing drug use kills people, as drugs bought illegally are often laced with Fentalyl or other deadly substances. Decriminalizing drug use and supplying people who use with alternatives and counselling services will help keep around 17% of the population alive

Similar to the argument posed with regards to Gun Violence. Drugs should be banned entirely to prevent any possibility of drug related deaths.

Think about the amount of overdoses that would be entering the streets and the amounts of threats that would come our way when we have people roaming the streets on drugs.

Again, if you want me to provide data and put all that together for you, tell me how much you are willing to pay

Health care is one of our specialties in this country and we should not let that up even though there are negative acting drugs.

Drugs are one the slow poisons that human race is fighting with. To represent ourselves as a healthy nation, drug rules must be strict.

We shouldn't allow people to poison themselves with drugs I don't see how that helps anything at all.

I do not agree with this, why would we want our world around drugs, I mean teens too. They have been using so much drugs

Drugs are bad and should not be legal to use because of the harm they cause on the intaker and the harm they taker can do

I think there shouldn't be a drug policy since it makes people who are already addicted even wors and have to pay an extremely high price.

drugs being more available will allow underage persons to get potentially dangerous substances more easily

I had an uncle who was addicted to fentanyl and i saw how it affected him and our family. It tore everyone apart for a while. I think it needs to be a bit stricter so people take it more seriously.

I would talk about the easy access for drugs to kids now and from my position as a kid i would say that people can access them too easy

Look at cities like seattle, where there are areas of the city that police won't go due to the scale of violence that have taken over. that is what would happen if you legalize drugs

Other countries have a more strict criminal system to illegal drugs and have less people using, becoming addicted and overdosing. By now allowing these harmful substances (which have been banned for a reason), it teaches people that it is okay to use on recreation and makes them easier to access for youth. Youth all ready have an addictions problem, so this will make it worse, further more, the legalization will make it socially ACCEPTABLE for youth and people of any age have drugs. It leads to irrational behaviour, education behaviour and death due to addiction because of overdose and suic…  Read moreide from the mental illness it causes. This rate in our schools have gone up significantly since marijuana was legalized and they put pot and vape stores a block away from my high school. Not legalizing illegal drugs will not only make it safer, but also save lives, otherwise, the government will be responsible for any drug related death if the bill is passed.

Decriminalizing drugs increases the spreading of hard drugs into schools and young populations. I wish my friends had been arrested before they overdosed and died at 15,16,16, and 18. None of us (aside from one friend) would have taken them if we were seriously worried about getting arrested. When you’re underage you’re scared to go to testing sites and you lack many of the critical thinking skills older people have, it isn’t fair to keep adults out of prison just to kill our countries children.

Decriminalizing drug use and approaching things from a harm-reduction point of view is the best way to go.

We don’t need more people doing drugs I see people in the streets smoking meth illegally already we don’t need to legalize it

drug is addictive and bad they can cause many hurtful things to your body like drinking psion that you can not cure

By permitting drug use ur promoting addiction, death and making it seem okay to our younger generation to start using.

drugs can be addicting and so it is easy for someone to get hooked and it can easily ruin someones life

Think about the amount of overdoses that would be entering the streets and the amounts of threats that would come our way when we have people roaming the streets on drugs.