The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
B.C.’s drug decriminalization threshold based on police input: Bennett
June 02, 2022 | Winnipeg Free Press
OTTAWA – The federal government’s decision on British Columbia’s drug decriminalization threshold was based on police input, says Canada’s minister of mental health and addictions. Drug users in B.C. who possess up to a cumulative 2.5 grams of illicit drugs for personal use will ...
B.C. to join small group of jurisdictions with decriminalization of hard drugs
June 01, 2022 | Vancouver Sun
British Columbia will soon join a handful of jurisdictions around the world where drug users are not criminalized for possessing small amounts of some illicit drugs for personal use. Critics say that while decriminalization is a positive first step, the overdose death toll can only be stemmed if a s...
Two neighbouring provinces. Two very different drug policies. B.C. and Alberta set to offer Canada a study in contrasts
June 01, 2022 | Toronto Star
When Lori Hatfield’s son fled to British Columbia in 2018, hoping to escape the shadow of drug-related crimes in his native Alberta, she felt an odd pang of relief. The mother from Lethbridge, Alta., had watched her son’s struggle with addiction, and while he was moving to what she saw as the �...
Critics say baby steps to decriminalize possession of illicit drugs in B.C. are not enough
May 31, 2022 | Vancouver Sun
Health Canada’s decision to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs in B.C. was hailed by some as an important step, but critics said the 2.5 gram limit is a “ridiculously low threshold” that could cause people to buy more potent drugs. B.C. will become the first jurisdictio...
Study: A cleaner illicit drug supply would cut overdose rates
May 26, 2022 | Elliot Lake News
A new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) said that providing safe drug substances to addicted drug users might be a solution to the growing number of overdose deaths from the toxic and unregulated supply of street drugs. The study reports that there are safer alternatives ava...
