Friday, March 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Drug decriminalization data to be made public

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 30 Jan, 2023 01:58 PM
  • Drug decriminalization data to be made public

VANCOUVER - British Columbia's plan to decriminalize small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use starting Tuesday will include a dashboard of information that will be available to the public and updated quarterly, the federal mental health and addictions minister says.

Carolyn Bennett said the Canadian Institutes of Health Research will evaluate the data on how decriminalization is working and the public is welcome to provide ideas on variables that could be measured as the policy proceeds during a three-year pilot project.

The federal government granted B.C. an exemption last May from Canada's drug laws to allow substance users to possess a total of 2.5 grams of opioids such as heroin and fentanyl, as well as crack and powder cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy.

Over 11,000 people have fatally overdosed in the province from toxic street drugs since it was declared a public health emergency in 2016.

The new policy means people who carry drugs up to the permitted threshold for their own use will no longer be arrested or charged, and their illegal substances will no longer be seized.

"Through this exemption, we will be able to reduce the stigma, the fear and shame that keep people who use drugs silent about their use, or using alone, and help more people access life-saving supports and treatment," Bennett said.

"All activities with illegal drugs, including production, trafficking, import and export, remain illegal, even if conducted with the drugs listed in the exemption in amounts under the 2.5 grams threshold," she added.

B.C.'s Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside said that instead of arresting people, police interacting with them will be handing out so-called resource cards with information on voluntary services available in their community.

Calls will be handled by "substance use navigators" who have been hired by health authorities, she said.

"Those health authorities will be connecting people to all the resources that are available in that particular region, whether that is a detox bed, whether it's a counselling service, they'll have access to a whole range of supports," Whiteside said.

She said decriminalization is just one tool in the fight against the overdose crisis and the province has expanded harm-reduction services and opened more than 360 substance-use treatment and recovery beds since 2017, she said.

"Decriminalization is a crucial part of that system. It will help break barriers and create pathways for more people in our province on their pathway to wellness. We know there's more to do and we won't stop working until we turn the tide on this crisis."

Drug users and advocates say the 2.5-gram threshold is too low and decriminalization should also have applied to youth under 18.

VANCOUVER - British Columbia is introducing a policy of decriminalization on Tuesday as part of what it says is an overall plan to prevent overdose deaths from illicit drugs.

The pilot project will continue until Jan. 31, 2026, after a federal exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Here are five things to know about decriminalization:

WHICH DRUGS WILL PEOPLE BE PERMITTED TO POSSESS, AND HOW MUCH?

Drug users will be allowed to carry up to a total of 2.5 grams of opioids such as heroin and fentanyl, as well as crack and powder cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy. B.C.'s application to the federal government called for 4.5 grams, but police requested one gram before a decision by Ottawa to allow a cumulative 2.5 grams.

WHY IS B.C. DECRIMINALIZING PEOPLE WHO POSSESS ILLEGAL DRUGS?

The province says it aims to reduce stigma around drug use, so people reach out for help to get services like counselling and treatment in the midst of the crisis that has claimed over 11,000 lives since a public health emergency was declared in April 2016. The B.C. government says decriminalization is one tool to deal with the toxic drug supply. However, drug users and advocates are concerned that services will not be available when people are ready to use them, especially in rural and remote communities.

HOW WILL THE JUSTICE SYSTEM ADAPT TO DECRIMINALIZATION?

Substance users who carry up to the maximum threshold will no longer be arrested or charged, and police will not seize their drugs. Instead, police will be handing out so-called resource cards with information on where people can access services in their community. The province says it has hired staff in each health authority to liaise with people who have been referred by police.

HOW WILL DECRIMINALIZATION BE MONITORED AND EVALUATED?

The federal and provincial governments say they will work together to monitor indicators related to health and criminal justice, for example. Trends in substance use, interactions with police and public perceptions of people who use drugs are expected to be included in the data, as well as input from drug users. The evaluation will be done by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

WHAT ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS TO POSSESSION OF ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES?

Illegal drugs will still be prohibited for youth under 18, on school grounds, at licensed child-care facilities and at airports.

MORE National ARTICLES

Impersonators behind 32 home frauds in Ont., B.C.

Impersonators behind 32 home frauds in Ont., B.C.
Mortgage and title fraudsters who impersonate homeowners and tenants have targeted at least 32 properties in Ontario and British Columbia, investigators and official warnings suggest.  Insurance investigator Brian King, president and CEO of King International Advisory Group, said his firm had received 30 such claims in Ontario.

Impersonators behind 32 home frauds in Ont., B.C.

Union wants national transit safety task force

Union wants national transit safety task force
A task force should consider whether de-escalation training, harsher penalties, increased mental health funding, better housing supports and greater police presence could help prevent violence on transit. The call for a task force came after a number of violent attacks targeting workers and riders on the Toronto Transit Commission.

Union wants national transit safety task force

U.S., Canada unveil details of new Nexus scheme

U.S., Canada unveil details of new Nexus scheme
The biggest change, to take effect in the spring, will allow U.S. border agents to interview Nexus applicants at select Canadian airports before boarding a U.S.-bound flight. That will happen only after applicants take part in a separate, appointment-only interview with Canadian agents at a Nexus airport enrolment centre.

U.S., Canada unveil details of new Nexus scheme

What methods does Ottawa want RCMP to stop using?

What methods does Ottawa want RCMP to stop using?
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino directed Commissioner Brenda Lucki to bar Mounties from using the method in a mandate letter last year. The fact that he also asked RCMP to stop using two other tools — tear gas and rubber bullets — has received less public attention.    

What methods does Ottawa want RCMP to stop using?

66 more potential graves at former B.C. school

66 more potential graves at former B.C. school
In addition to the reflections found in a technical survey, she said interviews with survivors and searches through archival records revealed that babies born as a result of child sexual assault at the mission were disposed of by incineration.  Spearing said their work found "a minimum" of 28 children died at the mission, many of them buried in unmarked graves around the site.

66 more potential graves at former B.C. school

Famed Canadian skating coach guilty of sex assault

Famed Canadian skating coach guilty of sex assault
Richard Gauthier was on trial on three charges in connection with crimes he committed in the 1980s involving a teenage male skater whom he trained. Gauthier, 61, was found guilty on two charges, in a ruling rendered in Montreal by Quebec court Judge Josée Bélanger. He was acquitted of a third count of indecent assault against the victim, whose identity is covered by a publication ban.

Famed Canadian skating coach guilty of sex assault