In a statement from the health minister’s office, the Liberals said they were aware the pandemic has made a bad situation worse, but did not commit to any kind of decriminalization
“Criminal prohibitions are ineffective in deterring drug use and criminalization of drug possession leads to both individual and systemic stigma, and discrimination that prevents people from seeking services,” he said.
“Overdose continues to be the leading cause of unnatural death in British Columbia and life expectancy at birth continues to decline in the province largely due to this health emergency.”Horgan said the issue is about more than just the grim statistics and called on Trudeau for immediate action. “This crisis, now intensified by the pandemic, continues to be one of the most serious public health threats in Canada’s recent history, and our government remains committed to a compassionate approach to address it,” reads the statement.
“These policies will do nothing to help Canadians struggling with addiction on their path to recovery and will exacerbate the opioid crisis tearing apart our communities.”Article content continued Erskine-Smith said that could be the first step with a broader task force looking into decriminalization — as the police chiefs have called for — to come up with new legislation and approaches for the government.Article content continuedHe said a task force could look at a broad range of ideas on how to move ahead with decriminalization and make sure there were supports in place to help people dealing with an addiction.
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