On January 31st, the BC government will decriminalize hard drug possession under a temporary permit from Health Canada. Adults over the age of 18 may be arrested or prosecuted if found in possession of a combination of cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, heroin, fentanyl, and/or morphine totaling less than 2.5 grams for personal use. No drugs will be seized. .
Carolyn Bennett, Federal Minister for Mental Health and Addiction, said: Press conference In Vancouver on January 30, the state’s “harm reduction” plan said it would “reduce the stigma, fear, and shame that people who use drugs remain silent about their use or use alone.”
“Monitored consumption sites that prioritize the dignity and safety of those who use drugs have saved lives and led many Canadians to treatment. We know access to treatment remains a gap.” said Bennett.
A three-year pilot program approved by Health Canada in May 2022 will make BC the first provincial Exemption From January 31, 2023 to January 31, 2026, Federal Controlled Substances and Substances Act.
B.C. requested A drug user can possess up to 4.5 grams of illegal drugs, which remains illegal.
“This exemption is not legalization,” Bennett said. “All activities involving illegal drugs, including production, trafficking, importation and exportation, remain illegal even if they are carried out with drugs listed on the exemption in amounts below the 2.5-gram threshold,” she said. I got
The program has the potential to impact drug policy across Canada, with the construction of a 75-bed long-term residential treatment facility in Red Deer announced on January 16, and an additional five recovery facilities in Alberta. in contrast to recovery and treatment programs in Communities in various stages of planning across the state.
BC Health Minister Jennifer Whiteside agreed with many of Bennett’s statements, saying that people found with illegal drugs “will be treated with care and compassion.”
“Decriminalizing people who use drugs is an important step in tackling the toxic drug crisis,” she said.
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Whiteside said the state will invest more than $11 million to hire “substance abuse navigators for all health officials,” who are “dedicated to connecting people who use drugs with the help they need.” Stated.
The state also developed a new training for police officers, which the minister said was taken by more than two-thirds of police, and included a picture of what 2.5 grams of the drug looks like.
Whiteside said the state “want parents to know that we are always discouraging young people from experimenting with drugs.”
Meanwhile, the federal government said it would create a “dashboard” of information for the public to update quarterly and “assess data on how decriminalization is working.”
Possession of illegal drugs remains illegal in schools, day care centers, airports and, in most cases, private property such as shops, bars and cafes.