National

Timeline of B.C.'s three-year drug decriminalization pilot project

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 Jan, 2026 09:49 AM

British Columbia's three-year pilot project that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use is set to end on Jan. 31.

Health Minister Josie Osbourne has announced B.C. will not be extending the program. Here are some of the key moments in its history.

May 31, 2022

Health Canada grants the B.C. government's request for an exemption from s. 56 of the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Jan. 31, 2023

The three-year exemption is implemented in B.C. The change decriminalizes the personal possession of up to 2.5 grams cumulatively of opioids, crack and powdered cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA for adults. Possession continues to be prohibited around schools, childcare facilities, airports and during the operation of motor vehicles.

Nov. 8, 2023

The Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act receives Royal Assent in the B.C. legislature. The bill prohibits consumption of illegal substances in public spaces and authorizes police to seize them and/or direct people to stop. Three days later, the Harm Reduction Nurses Association asks B.C. Supreme Court to declare Bill 34 unconstitutional. The court later grants a temporary injunction, preventing the bill from going into effect.

Jan. 31, 2024

Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside releases a statement marking the one-year anniversary of decriminalization, saying ending the project won't save "a single life."

May 7, 2024

Health Canada grants an amendment that curtails B.C.'s exemption. Decriminalization is restricted to possession in private homes and places where homeless people are legally sheltering, as well as overdose prevention, drug checking and supervised consumption sites and health-care clinics providing outpatient addiction services.

Jan. 6, 2026

When asked about extending B.C.'s exemption that allows for decriminalization, Premier David Eby says the province is "not going back to the old policy of decriminalized public drug use in British Columbia." He says "it didn't work and we ended that."

Jan. 14, 2026

Health Minister Josie Osborne announces the province will not seek an extension of its exemption agreement with Health Canada. Osborne says the goal of the pilot project was to make it easier for people to come forward and seek help, but it "hasn't delivered the results" officials hoped for.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Drug deaths in B.C. drop 13 per cent, hitting four-year low of 2,253

The BC Coroners Service says toxic drug deaths in British Columbia were down 13 per cent last year, with the toll now lower than any year since 2020. Chief Coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan says the decline is consistent with elsewhere in Canada and internationally, but doesn't mitigate the fact that 2,253 people died of overdoses in B.C. last year, or the grief felt by their loved ones.

Drug deaths in B.C. drop 13 per cent, hitting four-year low of 2,253

Metro Vancouver to stay cold for at least a week with wintry road conditions

This week's wintry blast of snow in Metro Vancouver will likely remain on the ground, with below-average temperatures forecasted well into next week. Environment Canada meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau says while temperatures may moderate slightly during the daytime over the weekend, whatever's melted will likely refreeze at night.

Metro Vancouver to stay cold for at least a week with wintry road conditions

B.C. puts its response to U.S. tariffs on hold after 30-day delay

British Columbia Premier David Eby says his government will pause its response to threatened American tariffs after a 30-day reprieve was negotiated today between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump.

B.C. puts its response to U.S. tariffs on hold after 30-day delay

Ontario PCs pledge billions in stimulus that would flow after election if tariffs hit

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford is defending simultaneously wearing two hats — campaigning in a snap election he called and taking anti-tariff actions as premier. This is a bad time for Ontario to find itself in an election, the other political party leaders say, amid the chaos of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats.

Ontario PCs pledge billions in stimulus that would flow after election if tariffs hit

B.C. wildfire crews return from California deployment to combat L.A. fires

More than 30 firefighters from British Columbia's Wildfire Service have returned home from a deployment fighting large fires that destroyed thousands of homes around Southern California. The Ministry of Forests say the crews are part of two separate groups, the first consisting of 13 technical specialists who were deployed on Jan. 11 to support the effort to combat the Palisades wildfire in L.A.

B.C. wildfire crews return from California deployment to combat L.A. fires

B.C. Court of Appeal orders new trial for husband in 'rape role-play' case

The B.C. Court of Appeal says a man convicted of sexually assaulting his wife deserves a new trial because messages between the pair about a consensual "rape role-play" scenario were wrongfully excluded as evidence. The ruling released on Friday says the complainant and accused, who can't be identified under a publication ban, were married but separated at the time of the alleged sexual assault in November 2019.