“The organization that is supplying the drugs, that is an illegal crime organization,” said Ms. McBain. “Any time a person has to interact in that dangerous milieu, they are taking a chance.”
Not everyone in Canada celebrated the decision. Chuck Doucette, the president of the Drug Prevention Network of Canada, based in Delta, British Columbia, called the government’s announcement a “cop out.” He said people should be given help with the “issues that led them to use drugs in the first place” and “the help they need to get clean and sober.”
“I think making drug use easier for them is kind of like palliative care,” said Mr. Doucette, who spent 35 years working for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police before retiring, most of which he spent in drug enforcement. “It’s just condemning them to a slow death because of drugs, whereas if you get them off drugs, get them a life back, they can enjoy life.”
The city of Vancouver had also previously applied for an exemption, which is still under review with Health Canada, in March 2021. If approved, the city’s exemption would apply to all amphetamines. Dr. Bennett, the federal minister, said British Columbia’s successful application could provide an example for other municipalities moving to decriminalize drugs for personal possession, including Toronto, which has formally applied. Montreal and Edmonton are considering it.
The approval of any additional applications will depend on the level of drug overdose in the area and other factors, such as whether decriminalization will divert people there from the criminal justice system and “augment” health services, said Dr. Bennett, the federal mental health and addictions minister.
British Columbia has one of the highest per capita rates of drug death across North America, at 42.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to provincial data.
In the U.S., the 10 states with the highest level of drug overdose, have rates ranging between 39.1 deaths per 100,000 in Connecticut, to 81.4 deaths per 100,000 in West Virginia, according to the latest mortality data, for 2020, by the Centers for Disease Control.
