B.C.’s health minister announced Wednesday that the province’s decriminalization pilot project will come to an end, three years after it was introduced with much fanfare as a measure meant to reduce stigma toward drug users and keep them alive until they could receive treatment.
The pilot had been put in place in January 2023 following an exemption issued by Health Canada and it is due to expire on Jan. 31 of this year.
Josie Osborne told reporters in Victoria that it is clear the pilot project — which allowed drug users to carry up to 2.5 grams of substances such as cocaine and heroin without having it confiscated by police — wasn’t working, and that the province is shifting its focus toward building up voluntary and involuntary treatment options.
“Despite the hard work and good intentions behind the pilot, it has not delivered the results we hoped for,” said Osborne. “For that reason, we will not be asking the federal government to renew the exemption.
“Our priority is, and always has been, to make sure people can get help when and where they need it. We continue to believe that addiction is a health issue, not a criminal justice issue.”
At the time of its announcement, then mental health and addictions minister Jennifer Whiteside said that “by decriminalizing people who use drugs, we will break down the stigma that stops people from accessing life-saving support and services.”
Hellbound and Down 