Ontario's top doctor calling for restrictions on legal substances, decriminalization

Ontario's top doctor is calling on the province to immediately enact policy that will restrict access to alcohol, vapes and cannabis as the number of people who have died or visited a hospital due to using multiple substances has spiked in recent years.

Ontario's top doctor is calling on the province to immediately enact policy that will restrict access to alcohol, vapes and cannabis as the number of people who have died or visited a hospital due to using multiple substances has spiked in recent years.

But Dr. Kieran Moore, the province's chief medical officer of health, also recommends Ontario decriminalize simple possession of unregulated drugs for personal use and make safer supply accessible to reduce the number of people in the province dying from preventable opioid overdoses each year.

"When we see preventable threats, like substance use, that harm too many people too young, devastate families, destroy communities, and reduce life expectancy, we must act," the medical officer wrote in an annual report released this week.

"In recent years, some of the biggest threats to what had been a steady increase in life expectancy in Ontario have been the COVID-19 pandemic and preventable deaths related to substance use."

Moore's research suggests his "multi-pronged" recommendations can help officials prevent fatal overdoses and stop people, especially youth, from dangerously and increasingly using multiple legal substances.

Hannah Jensen, a spokeswoman for Ontario's minister of health, said in an email on Thursday the government appreciates Moore's "recommendations to restrict legal substances while decriminalizing hard drugs."

But Jensen said they "ignore the unintended consequences and significant public safety concerns experienced by other jurisdictions that have implemented similar proposals," though she did not provide examples.