For decades, criminologists and public health experts have critiqued laws that criminalize the possession and use of illegal substances, suggesting that imposing criminal penalties for what should be approached as a public health issue does not correspond with notions of justice. Dating back to the establishment of Vancouver’s Insite in 2003, harm reduction initiatives centered around giving people who are addicted to harmful substances safe environment in which to use narcotics – through methods such as providing clean items with which to use substances and having healthcare professionals on site – have been argued to reduce instances of overdose and death, reduce the spread of disease, and provide additional services to those who use harmful substances. Following the expansion of harm reduction services dating back to 2020, the Provincial government of Saskatchewan implemented policies, in February 0f 2024, restricting health care workers from any longer providing a range of harm reduction services. This policy is based in a moral absolutist perspective that refuses to support initiatives that do not strictly involve substance users ceasing to use harmful substances. Healthcare providers and experts have spoken out against these changes. Beyond noting these policies endanger the lives of substance users and prevent initiatives to reduce the spread of disease transmission, these spokespeople advocate for a moral relativist perspective recognizing that there will always be people who use illegal substances, and therefore will always be a market for illegal substances. This second writing assignment will require for you to draw from local media reports to elaborate on the new policies implemented by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Heath and the controversy surrounding them, seek out peer-reviewed academic resources discussing benefits and drawbacks associated with harm reduction policies to inform your position on whether these service should be provided, and a critical assessment of the constitutionality of policies prohibiting harm reduction initiatives. The paper should come in at approximately 5 to 7 pages (not including your cover page and references section). 1.One section where you draw from local news publications to discuss the policy initiatives undertaken by the Saskatchewan Ministry of health and the basis for criticism of these policies by healthcare professionals and experts. This section will require that you use a MINUIMUM of TWO local (Saskatchewan-based) news media resources. 2. One section where you draw from at least four appropriate academic resources to identify and contrast between positive and negative outcomes associated with the presence of harm reduction programs for substance-dependent populations. Here, you will want to discuss your thoughts on whether demonstrated problems associated with providing harm reduction services are more significant that problems associated with restricting them and how this informs your approval or disapproval for the implementation of harm reduction initiatives. This section will require the use of a MINIMUM of FOUR appropriate academic resources (peer-reviewed academic journal articles or books from reputable publishers). 3. One section where you critically reflect on whether policies that prohibit people who use substances from having access to harm reduction services should be declared unconstitutional given the contents of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and determine whether you feel the Supreme Court of Canada should or should not prohibit the Saskatchewan government’s policies from being enforced. You will also want to focus on additional requirements with regards to… 1.Proper spelling, grammar and sentence structure; 2.Proper formatting requirements (double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font, margins that have not been tampered with, etc). 3.The correct presence of in-text and reference page citations (format of citations is up to you, but they must be an accredited academic citation style); 5.The presence of a clear and concise hypothesis statement (“this paper will…”) 6.The inclusion of page numbers and section headings; 7.A reflected awareness of what does not classify as appropriate materials to use as references as identified in the course syllabus; 8. The complete absence of any evidence of academic dishonesty (including plagiarism, the use of Generative artificial intelligence software, any other mischief).
