OPINION: Why the drug poisoning crisis in B.C. won’t be addressed by decriminalization
can no longer lead to criminal prosecution or even seizure of the drugs by police. The policy applies to possession of up to 2.5 grams of substance for personal use.
The stated goal of the decriminalization policy change is to remove the stigma associated with drug use to encourage people to seek help when they need it. Fentanyl has been the main opioid sold on the unregulated market for several years. It is typically sold mixed into other powders like caffeine or sugars to make a final product.
However, following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, variation in potency between fentanyl samples rose dramatically, leading to further unpredictability. These changes to the fentanyl supply around the spring of 2020 coincided with rates of drug poisonings previously not seen in the province. The provincial and federal governments have committed to a data-driven approach to decriminalization. Ongoing drug supply monitoring will help public health professionals characterize what changes occur to the unregulated drug supply as a result of the policy change. Yet the act of decriminalizing drugs for personal use does not have any direct effect on the cause of the ongoing poisoning crisis.
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