Ottawa — A Canadian province decriminalized the possession of small quantities of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and other hard narcotics on Tuesday as a dramatic policy shift to combat the opioid overdose crisis, which has claimed the lives of thousands. In lieu of jail or fines, adults detected with up to 2.5 grams of these narcotics will be supplied with information on how to attend addiction treatment programs.
However, sellers and traffickers of hard narcotics will continue to face criminal prosecution during the three-year pilot study in British Columbia.
On the eve of the implementation of the new regulations, Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett told a news conference, “The situation has never been more urgent,”
She claimed that the impacts of this public health disaster had decimated communities across British Columbia and Canada. When the plan was introduced in May of last year, she hinted that it may be implemented in additional provinces.
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More than 10,000 overdose deaths have occurred in British Columbia since the province declared a public health emergency in 2016. This exceeds COVID-19 deaths at the outset of the pandemic by almost six deaths per day in the province of five million people.
The nationwide death toll has surpassed 30,000.
Officials believe that the new policy would eliminate the stigma associated with drug use, which discourages people from seeking treatment, and promote the notion that addiction is a health issue.
In this May 5, 2022 file photo from Vancouver, British Columbia, paramedics from the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services treat a guy who overdosed on drugs in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) district. Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/Getty
The chief public health officer of British Columbia, Bonnie Henry, stated that the stigma and humiliation associated with drug use “drives people to hide their addictions.”
She stated, “That means that many people are dying alone,”
Kathryn Botchford, whose husband Jason died of a drug overdose in 2019, said she was unaware of his drug use.
“When I learned how he died, I believed there must be some error. Jason doesn’t do drugs. We have three small children, and he is aware of the risks “She stated, “But I was mistaken. He died alone from unlawful drug use.”
She originally concealed his cause of death, even from their children, according to Botchford. His confidence became my confidence.
But finally, she says, “I realized that… I was unconsciously creating shame.”
Eric sits on his skateboard as he visits the memorial cross for his girlfriend Jada as part of the Crosses for Change project honoring the victims of the opioid overdose crisis in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, on May 9, 2022. Steve Russell/The Toronto Star/Getty Images
Canada has spent more than Can$800 million (US$600 million) on addiction treatment, Naloxone supplies, and the creation of 39 supervised drug consumption centers around the country in an effort to combat the opioid crisis.
Bennett cited accomplishments such as the more than 42,000 overdoses averted at safe injection sites and the more than 209,000 individuals referred to health and social assistance over the past several years.
She admitted, however, that “that access to treatment remains a gap” that is being addressed.
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