Days after Ottawa announced the historic step of decriminalizing small amounts of illicit drugs in B.C., the measures are being blasted by those on the left who say it leaves Canada with a fractured approach to the opioid crisis and those on the right who say there’s not enough focus on treatment and prevention.
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Federal Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett and her B.C. counterpart, Sheila Malcolmson, heralded the bold step taken Tuesday when they
announced B.C. will become the first jurisdiction in Canada to decriminalize small amounts of drugs.
The aim of decriminalization, supported by the provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and B.C.’s chief coroner, Lisa Lapointe, is to reduce the stigma around drug use so people will not use alone which could be deadly.
However, drug policy experts and harm reduction advocates said Ottawa did the bare minimum, allowing adults to avoid charges or seizure if they’re found with 2.5 grams or less of opioids, cocaine and amphetamines. That threshold is much lower than B.C.’s request for 4.5 grams, which experts and people who use drugs say is just over a one-day supply for those with severe substance-use disorders.
