Vancouver police are reporting a dramatic decline in drug seizures over the first nine months of British Columbia’s drug decriminalization program.
The B.C. government obtained a special exemption from Health Canada for the possession of 2.5 grams or less of a variety of common street drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.
The exemption took effect in January 2023 and will run for three years.
According to data released Tuesday, the Vancouver police made no seizures for possession of 2.5 or fewer grams of exempt drugs between February and October 2023. Over the same period, overall rug seizures also fell by 76 per cent compared to the department’s four-year average.
“We don’t support putting people in jail simply because they use drugs or struggle with substance-use disorder. We believe that the decriminalization pilot is an important part of a larger strategy that is required to respond to the ongoing crisis,” said VPD Insp. Phil Heard, who oversees the department’s drug unit.
Heard said that prior to decriminalization officers rarely recommended charges for possession of small quantities of drugs absent aggravating factors. But he acknowledged police were legally required to seize the substances, sometimes leading to “unintended harms,” which the Health Canada exemption has helped address.
According to police, all front-line VPD officers were trained prior to the decriminalization pilot.
The VPD says supporting the Health Canada exemption is in line with its prior approach to drug policy, including support for the creation of Canada’s first supervised injection site in 2003 and a move in 2006 to stop attending overdose calls so as not to discourage drug users from calling 911.
The department says it is also a “leading advocate” for the safe supply of substances to help reduce deaths from toxic street drugs when combined with prevention and enforcement.
Not everyone is hailing the decriminalization program as a success.
Opposition BC United Leader Kevin Falcon said Tuesday the pilot has done nothing to stem the tide of toxic drug deaths.
“The problem is we’re seeing the overdose death rate continue to increase, 2511 individuals died last year of drug overdoses, the worst ever in the history of the province,” he said.
“Decriminalization took away the tool that the police have to say to someone, you’re not using drugs here, and if you continue to do so we’re going to take your drugs away — and that would be that would work very effectively in making sure that people aren’t using them in inappropriate places.”
While the possession of small amounts of some drugs has been decriminalized, they remain illegal to possess or use on school or child-care grounds, or within 15 metres of public outdoor playgrounds, skate parks and pools.
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