A Canadian province has decriminalized small amounts of hard drugs

Canada announced Tuesday that it would no longer criminalize possession of small amounts so-called "hard drugs" in a province west of the country.

A Canadian province has decriminalized small amounts of hard drugs

Canada announced Tuesday that it would no longer criminalize possession of small amounts so-called "hard drugs" in a province west of the country. This was due to the effects of the opiate epidemic, which has claimed the lives of thousands. This exception will apply to heroin, cocaine and other hard drugs.

Carolyn Bennett, Minister for Mental Health and Dependencies stated that the project was being done to save lives and help drug users regain dignity and their rights to choose. She also suggested that it could be used in other provinces.

Minister says that "for too long, the ideological opposition" of drug possession being viewed as a health problem has "cost lives." Adults may possess up to 2.5g of drug for personal use beginning January 31, 2023. This is for a three-year period. Information will be provided about how to access addiction treatment. The most serious cases of possession have been punished with jail time and fines.

"This is not legalization," I want to make it clear. Carolyn Bennett stated that the decision was not taken lightly during a briefing. The province saw six deaths per day from opiate-related overdoses in 2021. This is a total of more than 2200. According to government statistics, Canada has seen nearly 27,000 deaths from January 2016 through September 2021 and 29,000 hospitalizations due to opioid-related overdoses. According to the same source, these figures show a "worrying rise in opioid-related overdoses since the beginning of the Covid-19 epidemic."

At times like the May 2020 pandemic's first wave, overdose-related deaths in British Columbia surpassed the death toll due to the coronavirus. This led to a double crisis in British Columbia's health care system. Kennedy Stewart, Vancouver's mayor, said that today was a "historic day." The agreement between Canada and British Columbia was a "historic, courageous, and revolutionary step" in the fight for public health.

After Oregon in the northwest, which was very progressive in America, his province became the second North American jurisdiction to make possession of hard drugs personal. Other Canadian cities like Toronto and Montreal have made it clear that they are considering applying for a legal exemption to possess small amounts of hard drug.