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B.C. tosses trafficking convictions, tells Ottawa to rework drug legislation
The judge gave Parliament six months to fix the law after finding the ban blocked a non-medicalized safer supply program, lawyers said.
- On Tuesday, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Catherine Murray declared Section 5 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act unconstitutional, striking down trafficking convictions against Drug User Liberation Front founders Jeremy Kalicum and Eris Nyx.
- Kalicum and Nyx were convicted last year for trafficking after buying pure drugs to sell at cost, seeking to save lives through a non-medicalized safer-supply program after Health Canada denied them a legal pathway.
- Murray found the act infringes on Sections 7 and 15 of the Charter, guaranteeing the right to life and equal protection. She suspended invalidity for six months, allowing Parliament time to craft legislative amendments.
- Lawyer Tim Dickson called the ruling a "vindication of what DULF was doing," stating the case "should never have been brought to trial." The Crown has 30 days to appeal.
- The toxic drug crisis remains an emergency over 11 years after its declaration as a public health emergency. Murray emphasized the safer-supply program is "urgently needed to save lives" amid ongoing overdose deaths.
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12 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left9Leaning Right1Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution75% Left
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources lean Left
75% Left
L 75%
C 17%
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