The government of British Columbia is changing course on public drug use.
“Illicit drugs and hard drugs should not be used where kids are playing, where patients are recovering, or community life is lived,” Premier David Eby told a news conference on April 26.
Mr. Eby told reporters that while he has compassion for those struggling with addictions, “that compassion, that concern for people who are struggling, does not mean that anything goes. We still have expectations around safety, public spaces, in the coffee shop, on the bus, in the park, on the beach, and spaces where a family or people gather to celebrate.”
As a result, he said, the B.C. government is asking Health Canada to “urgently change” the province’s decriminalization policy to stop drug use in public.
He told reporters his government is not advocating charging everyone for simple possession. But he admitted decriminalization was leading to an “escalation” of public drug consumption.
“We have health workers saying we’ve got an issue in our hospitals,” he said. “You have retail and restaurant workers saying we’re seeing use even inside a coffee shop.”
The U-turn by the provincial government comes after repeated criticisms of the decriminalization policies by local politicians, health workers, and police about open drug use in public spaces.
For example, in September 2023, municipal leaders from across B.C.—such as city councillor Frank Wray from Smithers—called for the province to do more to combat public drug use
“You can’t crack open a beer at the library but you can smoke drugs or shoot up,” he told The Epoch Times on Sept. 28, 2023. “It seems like there isn’t a consideration for the whole community. Children need safe spaces as well.”
The province had tried to make drug use illegal in public places with its own legislation, but a B.C. Supreme Court judge put in place an injunction preventing that, and Mr. Eby says they’ve now asked for the same changes from Health Canada.
The government says the change would not criminalize drug possession in private homes or places where someone is legally sheltering, along with overdose prevention sites and locations with drug-checking services.
The province says the changes are among several new measures that focus on providing police with more tools to address public safety.
Mr. Eby said he has spoken to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about making the changes B.C. is asking for.
“I have talked to the prime minister about this,” said Mr. Eby. “He assures me that the federal government will provide full support to ensure the police have the tools that they need.”
In addition, Mr. Eby said the changes will also apply to hospitals. There has been criticism in recent weeks about open drug use in B.C.’s hospitals.
“We are also addressing the disturbing stories that British Columbians have heard about drug use in our hospitals,” he said. “We will not tolerate the safety of health professionals or patients in our hospitals being compromised.”
In the news release, the province says measures to improve hospital safety include prohibiting street drug possession or use in hospitals, and encouraging patients with substance use toward treatment and recovery.
Advocates for B.C.’s safe supply system have criticized the province for not doing enough to get people into treatment, and Mr. Eby said they are taking steps there as well.
“We’re also expanding resources for people who are struggling with addiction to help them rebuild their lives and exit from addiction,” said Mr. Eby.
He said the province will establish virtual opioid clinics for opioid agonist therapy, which will allow people to access drugs such as methadone to avoid the pain of withdrawal without going back to illicit street drugs.
“This virtual clinic will be available in every corner of the province and accessible to people through pharmacies, to lower the barriers for people in smaller communities,” he said.
He said the change in approach should give police the tools they need.
“The goal is that police have the authority and that everybody in the community knows it, so they don’t have to use it,” said Mr. Eby. “When a police officer says ‘no, I’m sorry, this isn’t the place where drugs are used. You need to go somewhere else,’ the person listens and follows that direction, hopefully and ideally to a site where there are medical professionals, connections to care.”
Fiona Wilson, Vancouver’s deputy police chief and head of the BC Association of Chiefs of Police, said police have been concerned since day one with public consumption of illicit drugs, and expressed the hope police will now have the tools they need.
“Our police officers do need to have legal authority to intervene in those rare situations where people are using illicit drugs under circumstances that are problematic. Families need to know that they can go to the beach and not have to tolerate someone sitting next to them ingesting illicit drugs,” she said. “So, what today gives is police the authority to deal with those rare circumstances of problematic public consumption.”
Some who have been critical of the province’s drug policies say the announcement is a good step.
Ms. Loo also welcomed the measures to stop open drug use in hospitals.
“They bring people back, they save them, they administer naloxone, on the one hand, bring them back to life, and then the person walks back out onto the patio and does drugs again,” she said.
“At some point, we have to not keep creating a system that has that revolving door for people to keep using drugs,” she said.
A provincial news release says guidance will be given to police “to only arrest for simple possession of illegal drugs in exceptional circumstances.”
