As of January 1st, the BC government implemented ground-breaking legislation in which they decriminalized the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs.
This legislation was created from a harm reduction perspective in an effort to destigmatize drug use in communities across BC.
The Province’s hope was that this legislation would get people out of a vicious cycle of being criminalized by police while battling addiction. It would also allow police resources to focus on other aspects of public safety.
Now, the Province has waffled on their legislation implemented last January with the proposed Bill 34, the ‘Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act.
The bill’s primary focus would be to recriminalize those who possess small amounts of drugs and use them in certain areas.
The areas which the bill will outlaw using drugs includes:
- Sports fields
- Beaches
- Parks
- Within six metres of the entrance to:
- Residences
- Workplaces
- Anywhere members of the public may have access to
- Public transit stops
- Within 15 metres of:
- Playgrounds
- Spray parks or wading pools
- Skate parks
The bill also allows police to arrest and seize any drugs from those who do not comply with these directives.
Within Victoria, this leaves very few places for those who suffer from addiction to use drugs without breaking the law.
The BC Green Party released a statement on Monday, October 23rd in opposition to this bill, calling for a more evidence-based approach.
They believe the bill, in its current form, mostly targets poverty and homelessness without providing support for those struggling with housing insecurity, substance use and addiction.
“If we want to achieve a true sense of public safety, we cannot adopt an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach. British Columbia is capable of implementing evidence-based solutions, and must do so immediately,” said Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the BC Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley.
“Until these necessary and evidence-based services are in place – safe consumption sites, funding for communities to help their residents with housing and living support, and support for regulated treatment centres — the BC Greens cannot support this Bill.
Furstenau wishes to remind the BC NDPs and members of the public that the toxic drug supply public emergency is in its seventh year and has claimed the lives of 13,000 British Columbians thus far, with no corner of the province untouched.
“We won’t be able to solve all the compounding problems immediately, but public drug use is one issue that can be solved,” Furstenau continued. “This legislation is simply not the way to do so.”
“A smart approach would focus on safe consumption sites, safe housing, and significant investments in, and regulation of, addiction treatment.”
She pointed specifically to the Village in Cowichan which has been a model for evidence-based housing, treatment and recovery on Vancouver Island.
This bill was given its first reading on October 5th, but hasn’t progressed through the Legislative Assembly beyond that.
