Decriminalization undone: Assessing the amendment to British Columbia's decriminalization of personal drug possession framework.
Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique March 12, 2025 Kelsey A Speed, Kat Gallant, Mathew Fleury et al. 10 citations
British Columbia, facing a public health emergency from drug poisonings since 2016, decriminalized possession of small amounts of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA in 2023. About 15 months later, the province amended the policy to re-criminalize public drug consumption and possession, prioritizing an undefined 'public safety' over the health of structurally marginalized people. This commentary argues that the amended framework, through discursive exclusion, displacement of marginalized groups from public spaces, and opportunity costs of law enforcement prioritization, is incompatible with balancing public safety and public health and instead worsens health and social inequities.