Ottawa says B.C. can recriminalize public drug use

The proposal that was put forward to us by the government of BC to amend the public consumption, public use consumption under the section 56, The amendment has been granted. So let’s be clear, The BC pilot is the only pilot in Canada at this time. We’ve moved forward with BC on this with a clear lens on public health and public safety because we know that we need to address the opioid crisis and the overdose deaths that we’re seeing as a public health issue. This is a health crisis. Not a criminal one. That being said, communities need to be safe. People need to have confidence that in their own communities they can move about freely and feel comfortable and engaged. But we also want to make sure that those who are using drugs also have safety and have healthcare services to support them so that we can save lives. Addiction is a health matter, not a criminal justice one. But that doesn’t mean that anything goes. Parks and beaches have to be safe and welcoming for families. The doorways of small businesses have to be free for customers. And hospitals have few places where people can work and get care safely. That’s why we took action in the fall, and that’s why we’re taking action now, effective today with Health Canada’s approval. Public drug use is illegal in all public spaces in BC, including inside hospitals, on transit and in parks. When police are called to a scene where illegal and dangerous drug use is taking place, they will have the ability to compel a person to leave the area, seize the drugs when necessary. Or arrest the person if required. Today’s changes do not recriminalize drug possession in a private residence or place where someone is legally sheltering, or at an overdose prevention site and drug checking locations. People in British Columbia want their communities to be safe and they also want their friends and family to be able to call 911 without fear if they need help. We are going to continue to do everything that we can to ensure that we are saving lives. We are keeping people alive and ensuring that there is treatment there for people when they need it.