British Columbia reverses drug decriminalisation in public spaces
British Columbia has announced plans to re-criminalise the use of drugs in public after the government came under fire over rampant drug use in hospitals and parks.
Premier David Eby said compassion for addicts “does not mean anything goes” as he announced the policy overhaul less than 18 months after the Canadian province decriminalised drug possession and use.
The January 2023 policy allows adult drug users in British Columbia to carry up to 2.5 grams of drugs for personal use without facing criminal charges.
Since it went into effect, there has been a backlash from local politicians, health workers, and police about open drug use in public spaces.
The partial u-turn comes weeks after Oregon reversed its decriminalisation policy after struggling with a spike in overdoses and swathes of drug users using on the streets.
Mr Eby said the province is asking the federal government to make drug use illegal in all public spaces, including inside hospitals, on public transport, and in parks.
“We’re taking action to make sure police have the tools they need to ensure safe and comfortable communities for everyone as we expand treatment options so people can stay alive and get better,” Mr Eby said.
“We’ve heard loud and clear from the front-line police officers who continue to see the unintended ramifications that unchecked public drug use has on the safety and well-being of neighbourhoods,” Vancouver Police Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson added.
“And the feedback has been unequivocal — public consumption is a significant issue that needs to be addressed and major changes are required.”
Under the proposed changes, police will have the power to ask a person to leave an area, seize drugs or carry out an arrest.
Drug use will still be allowed in a private residence or place where someone is legally sheltering, or at overdose prevention sites and drug checking locations.
The province said it is “working with Health Canada to urgently change the decriminalisation policy to stop drug use in public and has requested an amendment to its ... exemption to exclude all public places.”
British Columbia will also introduce measures to curb drug use in health care facilities to “make hospitals safer,” the province’s health minister Adrian Dix said.
He said the move will “improve how patients with addictions are supported while they need hospital care, while preventing others from being exposed to the secondhand effects of illicit drug use.”
