Drug decriminalization in BC reduced police encounters for drug possession, with no changes in drug-related deaths

B.C.’s drug decriminalization experiment failed to stop deadly overdoses: study

British Columbia’s contentious experiment decriminalizing fentanyl, cocaine and other hard drugs was hailed by provincial health leaders as a “vital” means of keeping people from dying from drug overdoses. It appears it didn’t. New research found no significant changes in drug-related hospitalizations or toxic drug deaths compared with the rest of Canada, where the drug laws hadn’t changed. “I think there’s a real risk of over-promising simple s…

A Canadian study found British Columbia’s drug decriminalization was associated with 39% fewer police encounters for possession, with no detectable change in drug-related hospitalizations or overdose deaths; possession encounters returned to previous levels after partial recriminalization.

Canada province experiment decriminalizing cocaine and fentanyl fails

Politicians in British Columbia believed that legalizing the synthetic opioid, along with other hard drugs including heroin, would be a 'critical step' towards allowing users to seek help.

B.C.’s drug decriminalization experiment didn’t change overdose deaths: study

British Columbia’s contentious experiment decriminalizing fentanyl, cocaine and other hard drugs was hailed by provincial health leaders as a “vital” means of keeping people from dying from drug overdoses. It appears it didn’t. New research found no significant changes in drug-related hospitalizations or toxic drug deaths compared with the rest of Canada, where the drug […]

Drug decriminalization in BC reduced police encounters for drug possession, with no changes in drug-related deaths

British Columbia's drug decriminalization policy was associated with a substantial decrease in police encounters for drug possession, while neither decriminalization nor the subsequent partial recriminalization was associated with detectable changes in deaths due to drug toxicity or drug-related hospitalizations, according to new research in Canadian Medical Association Journal.