- British Columbia is starting a first-in-the-nation trial decriminalising small amounts of hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
- Adults can possess up to 2.5g of such drugs, as well as methamphetamine, fentanyl and morphine.
- Canada’s federal government granted permission for the three-year experiment.
In a first-in-the-nation trial, the Canadian province of British Columbia is decriminalizing small amounts of dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroin.
Adults can now possess these narcotics, along with morphine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, in quantities up to 2.5g starting on Tuesday.
The west coast province’s request for permission to conduct the three-year experiment was granted by the federal government of Canada.
It adopts a similar stance to Oregon, a nearby US state that decriminalized heavy narcotics in 2020.
Federal and British Columbian officials revealed the conditions of the federally permitted exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act prior to the pilot’s commencement.
While still prohibited, adults who are found in possession of less than 2.5g of any combination of those substances will not be detained, charged, or have their possessions taken. Instead, they will be provided with details on the health and social services that are accessible.
An further public health emergency is killing Canadians.
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“A significant shift in drug policy that favors establishing trusting and helpful relationships in health and social services over greater criminalization,” said Carolyn Bennett, the federal minister of mental health and addictions, on Monday.
According to experts, 10,000 people have passed away from drug overdoses since British Columbia proclaimed drugs to be a public health emergency in 2016.
Jennifer Whiteside, the British Columbia minister for mental health and addictions, said that decriminalizing drug use “breaks reduce the fear and stigma associated with substance use and ensures that individuals feel safer seeking out for life-saving resources.”
Thousands of police officers in the province, including those in Vancouver, the province’s largest city, have been offered training on the new rule.
The program will operate from January 31st, 2023, through January 31st, 2026, unless the federal government terminates it.
The 2.5g restriction has been questioned by some specialists, who claim that it is insufficient to take into consideration the behaviors of many addicts.
An further public health emergency is killing Canadians.
The program is subject to a few exceptions.
Drug sales are still prohibited. Drug possession is also prohibited on the grounds of childcare centers, airports, and schools.
In 2018, Canada officially legalized adult use of cannabis for recreational purposes.
Contrary to marijuana, there are no intentions to market the four narcotics that are now legal in small amounts as they are still illegal. It is still unlawful to traffic in them across borders.
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