Small-scale possession of illicit drugs will be decriminalized in B.C. starting next year: federal government & More Trending News

Adults in British Columbia will be allowed to own small quantities of some illicit drugs starting next yr, the federal government introduced Tuesday — a transfer that marks a dramatic shift in Canada’s drug coverage.

The federal government says Canadians 18 years of age and older will be capable of possess as much as a cumulative 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA inside British Columbia. The announcement is in response to a request from the province for an exemption from the regulation criminalizing drug possession.

This first-of-its-kind exemption will go into impact January 31, 2023 and final till January 31, 2026. The exemption means there will be no arrests, prices or seizures for private possession at or beneath the two.5 gram threshold.

Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett and her provincial counterpart Sheila Malcolmson introduced the coverage shift collectively in Vancouver in the present day.

The metropolis has been the location of a surge in drug overdose deaths which accelerated all through the COVID-19 pandemic. B.C. noticed 2,224 suspected poisonous illicit drug overdose deaths in 2021 and over 9,400 since 2016.

WATCH | After document overdose deaths, B.C. decided to battle opioid disaster:

“For far too long, this wave of loss has been a reality in British Columbia and across the country,” Bennett stated Tuesday.

“Today, we take the first steps in the much needed bold action and significant policy change.”

Bennett stated that decriminalization does not equal legalization.

Still, the exemption is a dramatic coverage shift in favour of what decriminalization advocates say is an strategy that treats dependancy as a well being situation, slightly than a prison one. One of the objectives of decriminalization is to scale back the stigma related to substance abuse.

The exemption is a “major step in changing how we view addiction and drug use in British Columbia,” stated Malcolmson.

“The fear of being criminalized has led many people to hide their addiction and use drugs alone. And using drugs alone can mean dying alone, particularly in this climate of tragically increased illicit drug toxicity.”

B.C., Vancouver and Toronto Public Health have all individually filed exemption requests to decriminalize possession of small quantities of illicit drugs.

Under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act, the well being minister has the authority to grant exemptions whether it is “necessary for a medical or scientific purpose or is otherwise in the public interest.” The federal government confirmed that the purposes from Vancouver and Toronto Public Health are each nonetheless underneath overview.

The precept of decriminalizing possession of a small quantity of illicit drugs has been endorsed by the Canadian Association of the Chiefs of Police. The B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police additionally has supported the concept, although it advisable decriminalizing possession of simply 1 cumulative gram.

While the federal government has granted an exemption, it isn’t giving B.C. precisely what it requested for.

One main distinction is the amount of drugs being decriminalized for private possession. B.C. requested for a cumulative 4.5 grams — the federal exemption permits for simply 2.5 grams.

Health Canada stated it consulted quite a few sources of info to set its possession threshold. It additionally acknowledged a scarcity of proof to find out what an efficient threshold would be. The division stated that when the exemption is in place, it will be completely examined by a 3rd occasion and its particulars may change as proof is gathered and analyzed.

Delaying implementation till January 2023 was meant to provide governments and companies time for coaching, session and outreach, and to in any other case put together for the shift in coverage, federal and provincial officers stated.

Bennett additionally introduced a further $11.78 million in help for substance abuse and additions applications in British Columbia.

Activities like manufacturing, trafficking nonetheless unlawful

The exemption carries sure different limitations. It doesn’t apply on the premises of elementary or secondary colleges, in little one care services or airports. It doesn’t apply to Canadians topic to the navy’s disciplinary code.

The B.C. Ministry of Health stated that they view decriminalization as just one half of a set of insurance policies meant to handle the opioid overdose disaster.

Health Canada stated that the exemption doesn’t decriminalize actions like trafficking, producing, importing or exporting managed substances.

The exemption comes only a day earlier than a vote is anticipated on a decriminalization invoice put ahead by NDP MP Gord Johns.

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