Health advocates in Ottawa watching B.C. drug decriminalization closely
British Columbia is taking a new approach to address the opioid crisis by decriminalizing small amounts of certain illicit drugs for personal use.
As part of a first-in-Canada pilot project, people aged 18 and older can legally possess a combined 2.5 grams of illegal drugs, including opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.
Last May, the federal government granted B.C. an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Under it, adults will no longer be arrested, criminally charged or have their drugs seized if they're found carrying a small amount for personal use. B.C. had originally requested a threshold of 4.5 grams, but the federal government said it decided on a lower amount after speaking with law enforcement agencies.
Health advocates in Ottawa say they're watching the move closely.
"I think that decriminalization is the right move," said Rob Boyd, CEO of Ottawa Inner City Health.
"I think that it should have been done a long time ago, but we really need to look seriously at our overall drug policy in Canada. But if you’re looking for some immediate impacts, in terms of what’s happening on the streets here in Ottawa, you really need to look at access to legalized, regulated drugs for people who are in need of them."
According to Ottawa Inner City Health, there were 77 drug toxicity deaths in the first six months of 2022. There were 149 deaths in all of 2021, the highest ever recorded and double the pre-pandemic number.
"We have a number of outreach teams who are out on the streets every day, and the word they're using is 'overwhelming,'" says Caroline Cox, the senior manager of harm reduction for the Somerset West Community Health Centre. "The situation was pretty dire before the pandemic, and it’s only gotten worse."
Cox too, says that decriminalization is a step in the right direction, but access to a regulated supply is part of the solution.
"What we currently have, with some safer-supply pilots, is prescription of medical-grade stimulants and opiates," she said. "So, it’s very much safe, regulated, prescribed by a physician at a level that is safe, clinically, for the patient and reduces their dependence on street drugs."
More than 10,000 British Columbians have died from illicit drug overdoses since a public health emergency was first declared in 2016.
In Ottawa, Boyd said there were 127 drug toxicity deaths in 2020 and 65 in 2019.
--With files from CTV News Vancouver
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.