Young People and Drug Addiction: Helping Rather than Punishing
Ottawa, ON – It was with great emotion that Luc Berthold, Member of Parliament for Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière and Deputy House Leader for the Official Opposition, introduced his Private Member’s Bill, Friends of David Act, aimed at amending the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
“This bill would help young people who are struggling with addiction at a very young age to access treatment programs so they can be helped rather than punished by the justice system,” explained Berthold. “The Youth Criminal Justice Act would be amended to, among other things, clarify the measures applicable to addiction treatment programs for young people.”
“If passed, the bill would allow a youth court that finds a youth guilty of an offence to, in certain cases, defer sentencing to allow the youth to participate in a substance abuse treatment program,” continues Berthold. “It would also allow the youth court to attach the condition of attending a drug treatment program to certain orders.”
“When a young person develops an addiction and ends up before the justice system, society has a duty to allow them to seek treatment, since it has failed to eliminate access to drugs on the streets,” Berthold points out.
Over the next few weeks, Luc Berthold plans to raise awareness among his colleagues and Canadians about the importance of acting early to save lives.
“My wife Caro and I intend to speak out so that people who are going through difficult times with their teenagers know that they are not alone in this situation. I hope that my colleagues from all parties will support my bill to give teenagers this option as well,” concludes Berthold.