“For the past 35 years, the United Nations has marked June 26 as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Their #CareInCrisis campaign calls for urgent action through prevention, treatment and by addressing illicit drug supply.

“These are issues we take seriously in Alberta. Through a recovery-oriented system of addiction and mental health care, we are committed to making sure all Albertans have access to the support they need to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

“We are scaling up access to recovery-oriented treatment in an unprecedented way. This includes adding 8,000 annual publicly funded addiction treatment spaces – double our original commitment.

“Alberta’s government has also made publicly funded residential addiction treatment free for all Albertans, and we are working on innovative initiatives such as providing access to the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program in police arrest processing units.

“Support and compassion for people struggling with addiction must exist alongside enforcement that targets the criminals who manufacture and sell illegal drugs that fuel addiction.

“The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) was established to investigate, disrupt and dismantle organized crime groups that prey on Albertans by importing and selling illicit drugs.

“In recent years, we have expanded ALERT’s budget by $50 million to increase its ability to respond to emerging crime trends. ALERT has used a portion of that funding to increase its geographic reach across the province and put additional focus on known drug trafficking corridors.

“Alberta stands with the United Nations and all governments, organizations and stakeholders that are working towards the common purpose of addressing addiction.

“Addiction is an illness from which recovery is possible. We remain committed to ensuring every Albertan has the support they need.”