B.C.’s top health officer calls for decriminalization of illicit drugs GlobeBC
British Columbia’s provincial health officer has issued an urgent call to remove criminal penalties for people who use and possess personal amounts of illicit drugs, calling it a “fundamental underpinning and necessary next step” in the response to the overdose crisis.
Drug policy is a federal mandate but there are steps that provinces can take to de facto decriminalize. Dr. Henry provides two options in her report. In the second option, the Police Act could be amended to include a provision that prevents any member of a police force in B.C. from expending resources on the enforcement of simple possession offences.
“The RCMP is supportive of a comprehensive response to illicit drug abuse and recognizes that this is an evolving issue in Canada,” he wrote in an e-mail.
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