CPHA Calls for Urgent Public Health Action to Address Canada’s Toxic Drug Crisis

The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) has released a new position statement, Public Health Approaches to the Toxic Drug Crisis, urging all levels of government to take immediate, evidence-based action to curb preventable deaths caused by toxic drug poisoning.

As toxic drug deaths continue to devastate communities across Canada, CPHA’s position statement outlines a comprehensive, public health-centered response that prioritizes harm reduction, safer supply programs, decriminalization, prevention, treatment, and Indigenous-led initiatives.

“The toxic drug crisis is one of the most urgent public health emergencies of our time,” said Ian Culbert, CPHA’s executive director. “Our response must be rooted in evidence, compassion, and a commitment to saving lives, not in ideological divides.”

Comprehensive Public Health Solutions

CPHA’s position statement calls for governments to implement a full spectrum of interventions that address both immediate risks and long-term prevention strategies. Key recommendations include:

• Expanded harm reduction services: Increased access to supervised consumption sites, drug-checking services, naloxone distribution, and outreach programs tailored to community needs.
• Investment in the social determinants of health: Strengthening housing, income supports, and mental health services to prevent substance-related harms before they occur.
• Prevention through education and early intervention: Expanding evidence-based school programs that delay substance use, strengthening family and community-based initiatives, and increasing harm reduction education for youth.
• Access to diverse, evidence-based treatment options: Scaling up timely, voluntary, and effective treatment programs, ensuring treatment accessibility by reducing wait times, and improving standards and oversight for high-quality care.
• Safer supply programs: Expanding access to regulated alternatives to the toxic unregulated drug supply to prevent overdoses and stabilize individuals seeking care.
• Decriminalization of drug possession: Shifting away from punitive drug policies that increase stigma and deter individuals from seeking support.
• Indigenous-led solutions: Ensuring adequate and stable funding for culturally appropriate programs designed by and for Indigenous communities.

An Urgent Call to Action
CPHA calls on federal, provincial, and territorial governments to immediately implement these measures, emphasizing that prevention, harm reduction, and treatment are complementary—not competing—strategies in addressing the toxic drug crisis.

“Every day that passes without decisive action means more preventable deaths,” added Culbert. “We must act now to create a health-based response that values the dignity and well-being of all people in Canada.”

The full position statement, Public Health Approaches to the Toxic Drug Crisis, is available at https://www.cpha.ca/toxic-drug-crisis.