A local criminal defence lawyer wants the system to go even further in dealing with crime related to drug addiction.

Mark Gruchy was responding to the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police call for the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of illicit drugs.

Gruchy says he’s not surprised by the call, which he calls a very conservative approach to harm reduction.

He would like to see things go even further and consider the approach to robberies without violence that are linked to drug addiction .

He questions how many people are doing federal time for a robbery with limited consequences, which was driven by drug addiction. He says the system is approaching some “sad and tragic” cases with a “sledgehammer.”