Vancouver Legalize Drugs

Amid an increase in opioid-related deaths since the pandemic began in 2020, the Canadian government announced Tuesday that it would temporarily decriminalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamines, in the western province of British Columbia, which was the ground zero for overdoses in the country. The minister is leaning against windmills. “Sentences” for drug offences in Vancouver – where most drug-related deaths occur in British Columbia – have been extraordinarily rare for decades. In 2001, the head of the city`s drug department boasted before the Canadian Senate that “allegations of simple possession will not be prosecuted regardless of the type of drug” unless there are “mitigating circumstances.” Until 2019, police denied that “mere” drug-related arrests had taken place. Lax or non-existent enforcement of drug laws was seen as the cornerstone of the “Vancouver model” for managing urban drug use, in which ensuring so-called “safe” access to drugs for addicts (through supervised heroin injection facilities, crack machines, etc.) was the government`s top priority. “The shocking number of lives lost as a result of the overdose crisis requires bold action and significant political change. I have carefully assessed and considered the impact of this request on public health and safety,” said Carolyn Bennett, federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Deputy Minister of Health. “Eliminating criminal penalties for those who transport small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use will reduce stigma and harm and provide British Columbia with another tool to end the overdose crisis.” Not everyone in Canada celebrated this decision. Chuck Doucette, president of the Delta, B.C.-based Canadian Drug Prevention Network, called the administration`s announcement a “loophole.” He said people should receive help for the “problems that caused them to use drugs in the first place” and “the help they need to become clean and sober.” “This is a step in the right direction,” said Guy Felicella, a clinical consultant at the BC Centre on Substance Use in Vancouver, who has spent decades in prison for older drug offences and older. “Stopping and imprisoning me for drug use all these years never stopped me from taking drugs, even when I went to prison.

It has only created stigma and discrimination, shame. As part of a policy shift to reduce overdose deaths, Canada is decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs in the western province of British Columbia. This exception is not legalization. These substances remain illegal, but adults who have 2.5 grams or less of certain illicit substances for personal use will no longer be arrested, charged or their drugs seized. Instead, police will provide information about available health and social services and help refer patients to services upon request. The policy change in British Columbia applies to individuals 18 years of age and older who are in possession of 2.5 grams or less of illicit drugs. Persons over the age of 18 who carry these drugs in prescribed quantities and for personal use will not be charged, arrested or confiscated by the police. Instead, interactions with officials are used as an opportunity to be referred to local health and social services if desired.

In recent years, Canada has put in place a number of health-focused programs to combat its overdose epidemic, including establishing supervised injection sites, providing testing to check drugs for fentanyl, and providing prescription heroin to those who have not been successful with other treatments. B.C. will become the first province to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illegal drugs — but drug users, advocates and the province`s chief coroner warn that the 2.5-gram threshold set by the federal government ignores the harsh reality of how people buy and use drugs in the province. “The decriminalization of drug possession is a historic, courageous and revolutionary step in the fight to save lives from the poison drug crisis. Today marks a fundamental shift in drug policy that favours health care rather than handcuffs, and I could not be prouder of the leadership of the governments of Canada and British Columbia. “I think making it easier for them to use drugs is a kind of palliative care,” Mr.