Canada took a step toward decriminalizing hard drugs to fight overdose crisis

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Protesters in Vancouver call for a safe supply of illegal drugs on International Overdose Awareness Day. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

 

(Laura McQuillan/ CBC News) — When British Columbia decriminalizes small amounts of some illicit drugs next year, Canada will join a growing number of countries that have taken strides toward removing penalties for drug use.

But as many Canadian public health experts call on lawmakers to go a step further — and replace black market street drugs with a regulated safe supply — their international counterparts say they are watching to see what their countries can learn from one another.

Ottawa announced last week that from Jan. 31, adults in B.C. will be allowed to possess up to 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA — a signal it will treat addiction as a mental health issue rather than a judicial one. (…)

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