Citation

Michaud L, McDermid J, Bailey A, Singh Kelsall T. Int. J. Drug Policy 2024; 129: e104478.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104478

PMID

38879942

Abstract

The unregulated drug toxicity crisis in British Columbia (BC), Canada, has claimed over 14,000 lives since 2016. The crisis is shaped by prohibitionist policies that has led to the contamination of the unregulated drug supply, resulting in a surge of fatal and non-fatal overdose events. The criminalization of drug users exacerbates this situation, pushing individuals into carceral systems for the possession of and/or social practices related to drug use. This commentary examines the involvement of policing in the development, and throughout the first 15 months of its implementation, of BC's decriminalization framework. We highlight concerns regarding police discretion, the expansion of scope, and the interweaving of carceral logics into policies that purport to be public health-oriented.

Language: en

Keywords

Harm reduction; Linkage to care; Decriminalisation; Drug decriminalization; Toxic drug; War on drugs