Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Supports General Direction of Special
Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs Interim Report
December 9, 2002 (Toronto) For immediate release: The Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) supports the general direction of the
House of Commons Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs interim
report. CAMH is particularly pleased to see the emphasis the Committee
placed on addiction as a health issue and the need to address it within
a health care framework.
Dr. Patrick Smith, Vice-President, Clinical Programs, CAMH, and Head
of Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, commented, "We
strongly support the CommitteeÌs emphasis on harm reduction and
the development of a national drug strategy. CAMH supports a national
drug strategy led by Health Canada to ensure an overall framework that
recognizes addiction as a health issue. We agree that this strategy should
be one that recognizes the four "pillars" --treatment, harm
reduction, prevention and enforcement and it must define the roles and
accountabilities of various ministries and governments. CAMH also supports
the need for more research in the area of addiction and substance abuse
to ensure that policies are based on scientific evidence and experience.
We also applaud the Committee for their recognition of the importance
of increasing funding for health-based public awareness, prevention and
education campaigns."
"As a partner in CanadaÌs first Drug
Treatment Court, we applaud the commitment and support for permanent
funding and expansion of drug courts, if indicated by evaluation outcomes.
The Centre is pleased that the Committee has recognized the need for more
funding for treatment, a broader continuum of treatment options and the
need to be sensitive to socioeconomic, gender and cultural diversity,"
said Dr. Smith.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is the largest mental health
and addiction facility in Canada and is fully affiliated with the University
of Toronto and the World Health Organization.
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Dr. Patrick Smith, Vice-President Clinical Programs at CAMH, and Head
of Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Toronto is available for
media interviews. Please contact Anne Ptasznik, CAMH Media Relations Coordinator,
at 416-595-6015.
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1-800-463-6273
