Drug decriminalization in BC reduced police encounters for drug possession, with no changes in drug-related deaths

Canada province experiment decriminalizing cocaine and fentanyl fails

Politicians in British Columbia believed that legalizing the synthetic opioid, along with other hard drugs including heroin, would be a 'critical step' towards allowing users to seek help.

B.C.’s drug decriminalization experiment failed to stop deadly overdoses: study

British Columbia’s contentious experiment decriminalizing fentanyl, cocaine and other hard drugs was hailed by provincial health leaders as a “vital” means of keeping people from dying from drug overdoses. It appears it didn’t. New research found no significant changes in drug-related hospitalizations or toxic drug deaths compared with the rest of Canada, where the drug laws hadn’t changed. “I think there’s a real risk of over-promising simple s…

Drug decriminalization in BC reduced police encounters for drug possession, with no changes in drug-related deaths

British Columbia's drug decriminalization policy was associated with a substantial decrease in police encounters for drug possession, while neither decriminalization nor the subsequent partial recriminalization was associated with detectable changes in deaths due to drug toxicity or drug-related hospitalizations, according to new research in Canadian Medical Association Journal.

A Canadian study found British Columbia’s drug decriminalization was associated with 39% fewer police encounters for possession, with no detectable change in drug-related hospitalizations or overdose deaths; possession encounters returned to previous levels after partial recriminalization.

B.C.’s drug decriminalization experiment didn’t change overdose deaths: study

British Columbia’s contentious experiment decriminalizing fentanyl, cocaine and other hard drugs was hailed by provincial health leaders as a “vital” means of keeping people from dying from drug overdoses. It appears it didn’t. New research found no significant changes in drug-related hospitalizations or toxic drug deaths compared with the rest of Canada, where the drug […]