{"id":61460,"date":"2023-01-31T12:54:44","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T20:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/01\/31\/british-columbia-canadas-drug-decriminalization-policy-takes-effect-but-advocates-say-it-doesnt-go-far-enough\/"},"modified":"2023-02-01T19:47:02","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T03:47:02","slug":"british-columbia-canadas-drug-decriminalization-policy-takes-effect-but-advocates-say-it-doesnt-go-far-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/01\/31\/british-columbia-canadas-drug-decriminalization-policy-takes-effect-but-advocates-say-it-doesnt-go-far-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"British Columbia, Canada\u2019s Drug Decriminalization Policy Takes Effect\u2014But Advocates Say It Doesn\u2019t Go Far Enough"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cDecriminalization alone does not address the issue that drug users will still need to access an unregulated and deadly drug supply.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Doug Johnson, Filter<\/strong><\/p>\n

B<\/span>ritish Columbia has officially become the first province in Canada to decriminalize possession<\/a> of small quantities of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA. The three-year pilot period\u2014based on an exemption from the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act\u2014runs from January 31, 2023 to January 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

People aged 18 and over should now no longer be arrested, charged or\u00a0have their drugs taken away by police, so long as they\u2019re carrying a cumulative total of no more than 2.5 grams of those four substance types.<\/p>\n

The move<\/a> has been praised by some groups in Canada, including the federal New Democratic Party, whose provincial counterpart holds power in BC.<\/p>\n

\u201cDecriminalizing people who use drugs is a critical step in the province\u2019s fight against the toxic drug crisis,\u201d read an email to\u00a0Filter<\/i>\u00a0from the provincial government. \u201cThe goal of decriminalization is to help break down stigma\u2014the fear and shame associated with drug use\u2014so more people will feel comfortable reaching out for life-saving supports.\u201d<\/p>\n

The email stated that, in line with the policy, police officers will now offer people found with drugs a resource card that contains information about various supports, including substance use treatment services.<\/p>\n

\n

Join Jennifer Whiteside, BC Minister of Mental Health and Addictions; Carolyn Bennett, federal Minister for Mental Health and Addictions; and Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer, for an update about the implementation of drug decriminalization. https:\/\/t.co\/1zb9Ss6z2F<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 BC Government News (@BCGovNews) January 30, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

But the policy has also been greeted with substantial skepticism and objections\u2014and not just from people and political parties who are against decriminalization\u00a0per se<\/i>.<\/p>\n

For a long time, harm reductionists and groups of people who use drugs have criticized the development and structure of BC\u2019s decriminalization model. And now that it\u2019s taken effect, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) is among those planning to watch closely how it plays out in practice.<\/p>\n

Filter<\/i> has previously covered numerous issues raised with the plan<\/a>. The threshold of 2.5 grams is\u00a0simply too low<\/a>\u00a0to reflect the quantities that many people will carry\u2014a consequence, advocates note, of giving police a major say in the decision but\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0people who use drugs. Decriminalization will apply to four drug types, but not others\u2014like unregulated\u00a0benzodiazepines<\/a>, for example, despite the prevalence of \u201cbenzodope.\u201d The exclusion of youth from the policy, the notion of police giving health referrals, and the potential for police to simply disregard the policy are among other concerns.<\/p>\n

Dave Hamm, a VANDU board member, told\u00a0Filter<\/i>\u00a0that the low threshold\u2014considering how people go out to buy larger amounts to get a price break, or to limit the number of purchases they make\u2014could result in people being criminalized more than before, if police increasingly target people who exceed the limit.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we\u2019re just telling people to be careful,\u201d Hamm said.<\/p>\n

He does not believe that the provincial government will raise the threshold during the three-year period, despite VANDU\u2019s and other harm reduction organizations\u2019 urging. So besides monitoring the situation on the ground, the group is taking steps to help people navigate the policy as it now stands.<\/p>\n

VANDU will be handing out fact-cards to both its own community members and the general public. They\u2019ll present information about decriminalization, such as the threshold and drugs covered, as well as warning what is still considered illegal under BC\u2019s model (such as possessing drugs if you\u2019re under 18, or selling drugs).<\/p>\n

The Drug User Liberation Front (DULF) meanwhile announced in a January 31 press release that it will continue to operate its\u00a0unsanctioned compassion club<\/a>\u00a0as decriminalization begins, and as overdose deaths continue to rise in BC. The group provides small quantities of tested cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine to community members in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\u201cDecriminalization alone does not address the issue that drug users will still need to access an unregulated and deadly drug supply,\u201d DULF cofounder Jeremy Kalicum said in the release. \u201cStep up and address this issue or allow us access to the resources and funds to do it ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The provincial government says it will also be closely watching implementation. \u201cTogether, the federal and provincial governments will be working closely to evaluate and monitor decriminalization to address any unintended consequences and ensure that people are not being recriminalized,\u201d stated its email to\u00a0Filter.<\/i><\/p>\n

Vince Tao, a community organizer with VANDU, said that some police officers in BC will receive\u00a0training on decriminalization. But he noted that this training currently takes the form of a\u00a0mere 45-minute course. Local publication\u00a0Vancouver Is Awesome <\/i>reported<\/a>\u00a0that in nearby Abbotsford, BC, all 240 officers will have undergone a course on decriminalization, which is \u201cthe equivalent of a 45-minute webinar and explains the reason for the federal exemption, the purpose of the information [referral] cards and limitations of officers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tao cautioned that while policy may change at the \u201ctop level,\u201d how it actually rolls out and impacts people who use drugs remains to be seen. That\u2019s why VANDU and others will be keeping tabs\u2014particularly on the actions of BC police under the new regime.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, we have to always keep an eye on these things, right?\u201d he told\u00a0Filter<\/i>. \u201cThe next three years are going to be us actually fighting for some accountability from the police and from the\u00a0government.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article was originally published by\u00a0Filter<\/a>, an online magazine covering drug use, drug policy and human rights through a harm reduction lens. Follow Filter on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Twitter<\/a>, or sign up for its\u00a0newsletter<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The post British Columbia, Canada\u2019s Drug Decriminalization Policy Takes Effect\u2014But Advocates Say It Doesn\u2019t Go Far Enough<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\u201cDecriminalization alone does not address the issue that drug users will still need to access an unregulated and deadly drug supply.\u201d By Doug Johnson, Filter British Columbia has officially become the first province in Canada to decriminalize possession of small quantities of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA. The three-year pilotContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61460"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61461,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61460\/revisions\/61461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}