A former Crown prosecutor says calls for involuntary drug treatment for people living with addiction are impractical and “stupid.”

The concept of mandatory drug treatment has been gaining traction in various parts of Canada as the drug crisis deepens.

Mike Murray told VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly that the resources available to treat drug addiction are finite. He says if people are mandated to undergo treatment, it could mean treatment would be delayed or denied to those who want to access programming.

Murray says the “whole idea is just a waste of resources.” He asks why, with the resources available, “would you divert the available treatment from people who want it, to people who don’t want it? I mean, it just makes no sense.”