In February 2026, the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition submitted an alternative report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee as it undertakes a review of Canada’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Our report provides information on violations of the right to life and protections against arbitrary detention and discrimination under the ICCPR with respect to the human rights of people who use drugs in Canada.
After a decade of escalating mortality and morbidity, the threat posed by the unregulated drug supply is unquestionably foreseeable and driven primarily by Canada’s drug laws and enforcement practices. Canada’s continued reliance on criminalization, combined with insufficient and increasingly restricted health interventions, demonstrates a failure to exercise due diligence to protect life, and discriminates against people who use drugs, regardless of how often they use or whether they have a substance use disorder.
Taken together, Canada’s approach constitutes a systemic human rights failure. The unregulated toxic drug crisis is not merely a health policy problem. It is a governmental failure to protect the right to life.
Despite the devastating and ongoing loss of life, Canada has not adequately prioritized this crisis. The Government of Canada delegation can and should be prepared to address questions from the Committee on this issue. We ask that the Committee explicitly address drug policy within its review and issue strong recommendations requiring Canada to shift from punishment to regulation, care, and human rights-based approaches.
Submitted February 2, 2026