BC Decriminalizes Drug Possession

[Luv2play]

Effective this Tuesday in British Columbia, Canada's third largest province, mere possession of hard drugs will no longer be subject to criminal sanction. Since an earlier thread focussed only on the city of Vancouver, and its headline incorrectly stated that drugs were being legalized, I thought we should focus the discussion on the actual state of affairs. 

I admit I am no expert on drug policy and have no dog in the fight since I don't use illicit drugs or even marijuana which is legal in Canada. But what I read in today's news in the Globe and Mail this morning indicates there are caveats or limits to what is being decriminalized. For instance possession in certain areas like schools or in certain other public places will still be a violation or in cars driven by minors. And municipalities can pass bylaws further restricting places where drugs can be carried around, although these restrictions can't effectively ban possession in all places.

Police have received training on how to identify the amounts of drugs that are now permitted to be carried on a person's body. And they can no longer confiscate the drugs within the quantity limits specified.

Of course there's more to the program than this simple change in the law, with multiple support measures and new resources being directed to the problem of drug use but I won't get into them here. You'll have to read about it if you are interested.

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by Luv2play