Updated April 26, 2024:
The Province of B.C. is working with Health Canada to make changes to the federal exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The requested changes would make illicit drug use illegal in all public spaces including inside hospitals, on transit and in parks. These changes are not currently in effect. For more information, read the news release:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024PREM0021-000643
The federal government approved an exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to allow for the removal of criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of some illicit substances for personal use by people over 18 years old within British Columbia. This exemption is effective starting January 31, 2023 until January 31, 2026. The purpose of the exemption is to reduce the stigma associated with substance use and support people in accessing important health and social services. Since decriminalization came into effect in BC, some local governments have expressed interest in understanding the potential impacts of decriminalization on public substance use as they consider the needs of their communities.
Drug decriminalization in British Columbia: A pre-implementation qualitative study with people who use drugs (PDF) (September 2023)
Harm Reduction Client Survey 2022 decriminalization data
The 2022 Harm Reduction Client Survey collected data pre-decriminalization to act as a baseline against which future changes could be assessed.
Find results from the 2022 Harm Reduction Client Survey
