British Columbia decriminalises the possession of small amounts of hard drugs in a radical policy shift to address an opioid overdose crisis that has killed thousands
The criminal code exemption makes British Columbia the second jurisdiction in North America to decriminalise hard drugs after the US state of Oregon did so in November 2020.
Officials hope the change in policy on Tuesday will remove the stigma associated with drug use that keeps people from seeking help, and foster the notion that addiction is a health issue. Sellers and traffickers of hard drugs, however, will continue to face criminal prosecution during the three-year pilot project.British Columbia is the epicentre of a crisis that has seen more than 10,000 overdose deaths since it declared a public health emergency in 2016.
The criminal code exemption granted to British Columbia for the pilot project makes the province only the second jurisdiction in North America to decriminalise hard drugs after the US state of Oregon did so in November 2020.The state saw a dramatic drop in arrests that have freed up police and court resources, but Oregon's initiative has faced pushback over the relatively few people taking up offers of addiction help.
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