(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Canada believe prevention and treatment should be the main focus when dealing with drug users, according to a poll by Innovative Research Group released by CanWest News Service. 65 per cent of respondents think the consumption of illegal drugs is an illness, while 35 per cent consider it a crime.

In November 2004, the Canadian federal government re-introduced a controversial bill that sought "alternate penalty frameworks" for the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The bill, which would have allowed any person caught with 15 grams of the drug or less to face fines instead of criminal charges, was never put to a vote in the House of Commons.

In November 2006, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper announced his intention to increase penalties for drug-impaired driving, declaring, "Just as governments once took action on drunk driving, we must act today to make drug-impaired driving just as socially unacceptable."

Earlier this month, Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan urged the Canadian federal government to exempt the city from existing regulations to provide "substitution therapy" for 700 drug users, adding, "Prescribing legally available medications provides people an opportunity to regain stability in their lives and ultimately a path to abstinence. Recognizing that drug addiction is one of the root causes of property crime and public disorder, I believe that this new approach will also help to reduce harm to the community."

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