VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The government of the Canadian province of British Columbia is making changes to its drug decriminalization policy to end drug use in public places.
Premier David Eby said at a news conference Friday that the province is calling on the federal government to make the use of illicit drugs illegal in all public spaces, including inside hospitals, on transit and in parks.
Eby said the government still believes that “addiction is a health problem. It’s not a question of criminal law.”
“But compassion for people who are struggling doesn’t mean anything goes,” he said.
Possession of small amounts of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, also called ecstasy, was decriminalized in BC last January after the federal government granted an exemption to the province to try to curb the number of overdose deaths.
The program was made possible through an exemption granted by Health Canada under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which allowed open drug use in some public spaces.
More than 14,000 people have died in BC since the government declared a public health emergency in April 2016 due to illicit opioid overdoses.
The government has faced repeated criticism over decriminalization policies from local politicians, health professionals and police over open drug use in public spaces.
The province tried to make drug use in public places illegal with its own legislation, but a BC Supreme Court judge issued an injunction blocking that. Eby said they have now asked Health Canada for the same changes.
Under the proposed changes, police will have the power to ask a person to leave an area, seize drugs “where necessary” or arrest a person if necessary.
Drug use will still be permitted in private residences or places where someone is legally sheltered, or at overdose prevention sites and drug screening sites.
Fiona Wilson, deputy chief of the Vancouver Police Department, said businesses, families and individuals have expressed concerns about public drug use.
“We remain committed to a compassionate, health-oriented approach that supports people living with substance use disorder while addressing real concerns in our communities related to problematic drug use,” he said.
Dana Larsen, an anti-drug activist from Vancouver, said there need to be more safe places for people to use drugs.
“I understand people’s concerns,” Larsen said. “For me, the solution is to create safe, legal spaces where you can do that.”
Brittany Graham, executive director of the Vancouver Area Drug Users Network (VANDU), said the changes would negatively affect low-income people.
“What would have been more beneficial would have been to build more housing, have more shelters, have more overdose prevention services, as well as have a plan for uncontaminated medicines in this province,” she said.
Eby was asked whether the changes will withstand court scrutiny.
“We believe we have the authority to regulate provincially,” he said. “We believe that the federal government had the authority. Well, defend it if that happens.”
Eby expects drug decriminalization to be an issue in the Oct. 19 provincial election.
Oregon, the first US state to decriminalize illicit drugs, recently reversed course and reinstated criminal penalties for use and possession.
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