Last week, British Columbia got a three-year exemption from the federal government to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugs.
Beginning Jan. 31, 2023, adults found carrying 2.5 grams or less of certain drugs for personal use, will not be arrested, charged, ticketed or have their drugs taken away. Instead, police will offer information about health and social supports, the B.C. government said in a news release. The exemption applies to opioids, cocaine and amphetamines, but does not apply to psychedelic drugs.
“The shocking number of lives lost to the overdose crisis requires bold actions and significant policy change,” said Carolyn Bennett, federal minister of mental health and addictions and associate minister of health. “Eliminating criminal penalties for those carrying small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use will reduce stigma and harm and provide another tool for British Columbia to end the overdose crisis.”
Critics immediately said 2.5 grams wasn’t enough, but overall most applauded the provincial government for requesting the exemption and the federal government for granting it, albeit only for a three-year trial.
Last year, at least 2,224 people died from toxic drugs in B.C., where deaths continue at a rate of about five every day, the BC Coroners Service reported. Since a public health emergency was declared in 2016, nearly 9,000 lives have been lost.
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said he felt like crying when he found out that B.C. would get the exemption.
“I still feel like crying. This is a big, big, thing,” Stewart said at the news conference announcing the exemption. Stewart called the change historic and brave.
Decriminalization isn’t the same thing as legalization. The drugs are still illegal, but people won’t be arrested for having them. B.C. is the first jurisdiction in Canada to take this approach and is second in North America. Oregon took similar steps last year, but still tickets people found with drugs.
Sheila Malcolmson, B.C.’s minister of mental health and addictions, said decriminalizing drugs will break down the stigma that stops people from accessing support and services.
I hope she’s right.
Most of the people in B.C. who die from drug overdoses die alone, inside their home. Three-quarters are men, aged between 30 and 59.
I’m not entirely convinced that many lives will be saved simply because possession is decriminalized, but I hope this move works to show people it’s okay to ask for help, or to tell their families they are using drugs, so their families can watch out for them.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, says the exemption will keep people alive.
“By removing the fear and shame of drug use, we will be able to remove barriers that prevent people from accessing harm reduction services and treatment programs,” she said.
I’ve heard that people with addictions will often overdose after brief stints off drugs during jail sentences. Decriminalization will stop people being put in jail over and over for short periods, which should cut back on those overdoses and it will also lessen the load on police and the courts.
While I applaud this change and see that it could be part of sweeping change that transforms our society and ends deaths from toxic drugs, I see it as only one small part of the change necessary to make a difference. It’s good, but it’s not enough on its own.
We need to make sure anyone addicted to drugs can access treatment easily and right away, when they’re ready. If there are no options, or they have to wait weeks or months for a bed, it’s too easy to fall back into using drugs. First and foremost, we need to expand access to treatment and counselling.
Safe supply will make a difference, but an even bigger difference would be safe, affordable housing and a basic income for people who are trying to recover from addiction. Imagine a person with addiction getting clean but having nowhere to live and no job when they leave treatment. The follow up supports are crucial and must be in place.
Decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of drugs is one piece of the puzzle, but it’s only one piece. Stopping the deaths will take much more and we must do it.
Tracy Sherlock is a freelance journalist who writes about education and social issues. Read her blog or email her [email protected].
