Vancouver: Decriminalization
of hard drugs under fire
Several city councillors in Metro Vancouver are calling on the province's government to "stop the madness" and reverse course on drug decriminalization.
On a Facebook page, they signed a joint statement to "urge the provincial government to end its experiment in decriminalizing deadly drugs and instead focus on treatment and rehabilitation."
One of the signatories, Ms. Loo, told The Epoch Times that the decriminalization of hard drugs has only made the situation worse.
"We see that what we're doing isn't helping people. It also destroys our neighborhoods. We need to put an end to this madness," she said in a telephone interview.
"We haven't seen any improvement in terms of the number of people dying from drugs, the number of people using drugs, and the number of encampments in our communities. The situation has gotten worse, it has not improved. »
Councillors called on the provincial government to follow Oregon's lead, which decided to end decriminalization after a three-year trial.
"In a 2023 poll by Emerson College Polling, Oregon residents said they wanted to repeal decriminalization, which they did. This is a lesson and an approach we should follow here in B.C.," Annis said in a statement.
"Oregon's experiment failed, and it's clear that B.C.'s experiment, which received Ottawa's approval, also failed,"
said Fontaine, another elected official.
On April 1, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed a bill to "recriminalize" drug possession in the state.
While reinstating criminal penalties for "personal possession" of drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, and oxycodone, among others, the law also allows law enforcement agencies to set up diversion programs offering substance abuse and mental health services to those caught in the act of drugs.
Mr. Fontaine agrees.
"We should reverse decriminalization and focus on treatment, rehabilitation, and a continuum of care, rather than serving more drugs as a solution," he said in the joint statement. "The fact is that our neighbourhoods, communities and local businesses are all struggling and losing from the tragic effects of deadly drugs and legalization, which are growing like terminal cancer across the province."
Ms Loo said it was time to show responsibility.
"We need people to be accountable and the province to be accountable for service delivery and availability," she said. "Sometimes there's a 2, 3 or 4 week waiting list to get into some of these facilities. The result is that people are willing to enter a program that has no place for them. »
Instead, we put them back on the street with their drugs and a pamphlet saying "Good luck."
The opposition has also called for an end to decriminalisation.
Conservative Party Leader John Rustad criticized the B.C. government's policy in an April 4 video posted on social media.
At the time, he said it was "absolutely crazy" to see drugs and smokehouses open in small communities.
Mr Rustad said his party would end safe supply and decriminalisation, saying the solution was to get people into treatment and recovery.
In another video posted on social media on April 4, opposition party leader Kevin Falcon also criticized the NDP government's policy, saying it would end "in a matter of hours" if they were in power.
On a Facebook page, they signed a joint statement to "urge the provincial government to end its experiment in decriminalizing deadly drugs and instead focus on treatment and rehabilitation."
One of the signatories, Ms. Loo, told The Epoch Times that the decriminalization of hard drugs has only made the situation worse.
"We see that what we're doing isn't helping people. It also destroys our neighborhoods. We need to put an end to this madness," she said in a telephone interview.
"We haven't seen any improvement in terms of the number of people dying from drugs, the number of people using drugs, and the number of encampments in our communities. The situation has gotten worse, it has not improved. »
Councillors called on the provincial government to follow Oregon's lead, which decided to end decriminalization after a three-year trial.
"In a 2023 poll by Emerson College Polling, Oregon residents said they wanted to repeal decriminalization, which they did. This is a lesson and an approach we should follow here in B.C.," Annis said in a statement.
"Oregon's experiment failed, and it's clear that B.C.'s experiment, which received Ottawa's approval, also failed,"
said Fontaine, another elected official.
On April 1, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed a bill to "recriminalize" drug possession in the state.
While reinstating criminal penalties for "personal possession" of drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, and oxycodone, among others, the law also allows law enforcement agencies to set up diversion programs offering substance abuse and mental health services to those caught in the act of drugs.
Mr. Fontaine agrees.
"We should reverse decriminalization and focus on treatment, rehabilitation, and a continuum of care, rather than serving more drugs as a solution," he said in the joint statement. "The fact is that our neighbourhoods, communities and local businesses are all struggling and losing from the tragic effects of deadly drugs and legalization, which are growing like terminal cancer across the province."
Ms Loo said it was time to show responsibility.
"We need people to be accountable and the province to be accountable for service delivery and availability," she said. "Sometimes there's a 2, 3 or 4 week waiting list to get into some of these facilities. The result is that people are willing to enter a program that has no place for them. »
Instead, we put them back on the street with their drugs and a pamphlet saying "Good luck."
The opposition has also called for an end to decriminalisation.
Conservative Party Leader John Rustad criticized the B.C. government's policy in an April 4 video posted on social media.
At the time, he said it was "absolutely crazy" to see drugs and smokehouses open in small communities.
Mr Rustad said his party would end safe supply and decriminalisation, saying the solution was to get people into treatment and recovery.
In another video posted on social media on April 4, opposition party leader Kevin Falcon also criticized the NDP government's policy, saying it would end "in a matter of hours" if they were in power.
