Premier John Horgan says he supports a call from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) to decriminalize personal possession of illicit drugs.
The CACP announced their support for decriminalization in a statement Thursday morning and called for the creation of a national task force to research drug policy reform.
“If not now, when?” Horgan said when he was asked about the CACP statement during a Thursday briefing on COVID-19.
“Anything that we can do to reduce the deaths and to reduce the dependence and to quite frankly free up law enforcement to do other things, I support.”
Horgan added that decriminalization would require support from the federal government to reform the Criminal Code.
CACP President and Vancouver Police Chief Constable Adam Palmer stated that CACP would be seeking to reform section 4(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
“Canada continues to grapple with the Fentanyl crisis and a poisoned drug supply that has devastated our communities and taken thousands of lives,” stated Palmer.
“We recommend that enforcement for possession give way to an integrated health-focussed approach that requires partnerships between police, healthcare and all levels of government.“
May 2020 was the deadliest month for illicit drug overdose deaths in B.C. history, and the number of illicit overdose calls remains on the rise on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland region.
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