OTTAWA — The federal government has granted British Columbia’s request to scale back its drug decriminalization pilot program in public places, Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks said Tuesday.
Saks said the change takes effect immediately.
“We know that we need to address the opioid crisis and the overdose deaths that we’re seeing as a public health issue. This is a health crisis, not a criminal one,” she told reporters in Ottawa.
“That being said, communities need to be safe, people need to have confidence that in their own communities they can move about freely and feel comfortable.”
The province had asked Health Canada to amend an exemption allowing the decriminalization of small amounts of drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Following widespread concern from the public, nurses and police around consumption of drugs in public, B.C. Premier David Eby said his NDP government wanted to recriminalize the use of those drugs in public spaces such as hospitals and parks.
Saks said she expects police to direct people who need help to proper support systems and only make arrests in extreme cases where public safety is at risk.
She said decriminalization is only one policy tool to deal with the toxic overdose crisis, adding that she is frustrated by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s efforts to make the issue political.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2024.
The Canadian Press