Canada province to end drug decriminalization program

A Canadian province announced Wednesday that it would not renew a controversial but pioneering drug decriminalization program, saying the initiative has not produced the desired outcome of more users seeking healthcare.

In 2023, the west coast province of British Columbia was granted permission by Canada's federal government to run a three-year decriminalization pilot program to allow for personal possession of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and other hard drugs.

The project was designed as a response to a devastating opioid crisis that has hit particularly hard in major British Columbia cities, notably Vancouver.

Under the plan, adults in the province were shielded from arrest or charges for possession of up to 2.5 grams of hard drugs.

Instead, people found by police possessing small quantities of drugs were to be provided with information on how to access medical help for addiction.

But British Columbia's health minister Josie Osborne told reporters on Wednesday the province would not be seeking permission from Ottawa to extend the program.

"Our intention was clear, to make it easier for people who are struggling with addiction to come forward and seek help," she told journalists.

"This pilot was designed as a time-limited trial with ongoing monitoring built in so we could understand what was working," she said, adding: "The pilot hasn't delivered the results that we hoped for."

Osborne said the province still views drug addiction as a health issue, not something to be solved by the criminal justice system, and would be pursuing new ways to help users access care.

British Columbia's decriminalization program was a first for Canada, and followed a similar initiative in the US state of Oregon.