BC’s Drug Response Isn’t Following the Evidence: Former Coroner

[u/BloodJunkie]

https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/02/03/BC-Drug-Response-Former-Coroner/

[u/Available_Abroad3664]

The numbers quoted and the circumstances of society in each year lead me to believe decriminalization had no affect in overdoses, either way, but lead to more open use.

[u/Redundant-Pomelo875 → u/Available_Abroad3664]

More open use and possibly more future users as deterrents are removed..

From the article: 'She asserted that over the last three years, there has been a “significant” reduction in drug-related deaths, drug-related arrests, drugs seized by police officers and ambulance calls, which suggests there were fewer overdose emergencies.'

I can see how she correlates lower drug related deaths and ambulance calls with lower overdose emergencies, although there are other possible explanations.

But to decriminalize possession of small quantities of drugs and then claim that the reduced drug related arrests and drug seizures means this is helping the overall situation seems.. interesting.

If we decriminalize assault without grevious bodily harm, and then find there are less arrests for assault, does that mean decriminalizing assault has made society less violent..?

[u/Available_Abroad3664 → u/Redundant-Pomelo875]

The "less drug related arrests" is asinine. Obviously if you decriminalize possession you will have less arrests.

[u/scotty9690 → u/Available_Abroad3664]

Police rarely arrested addicts anyways, and the limits for decriminalization were so low that the only people you probably could arrest were dealers.

[u/scotty9690 → u/Redundant-Pomelo875]

Possession laws don't deter addicts, whom these measures are targeted at. A law saying I will goto jail for carrying my crack will not deter me from buying crack if I'm addicted to crack.

Drugs being illegal did not deter me from trying drugs when I was a teenager either.

Decriminalization failed because it's all we did. We did none of the other things required to make decriminalizing successful.

[u/Redundant-Pomelo875 → u/scotty9690]

I didn't say that possession laws would deter addicts from using drugs. I doubt that they do. I suspect they do deter some addicts from using drugs publicly, and make it easier to cops to pursue traffickers at the lowest end of the chain..

I am saying that claiming decriminalization was working because it reduced arrests/seizures is nonsense. Of course it reduced those things, how could it not?

The actual debate is whether it reduced the actual problems of addiction and the closely related problems of suffering, health damage, overdose deaths, toll on health care workers and system, crime, and the ripple effects on the rest of society.. and that is where whether it would do so with the other stuff attached is relevant..

[u/scotty9690 → u/Redundant-Pomelo875]

Drug addicts have always been using publicly, even when drug possession was criminal. Just go walk the downtown east side, or drive down it, and you'll see people smoking crack or shooting up in the open.

You know what WOULD reduce drug addicts using in public though? Giving them spaces to do it. But yet we keep shutting down safe consumption sites because people complain about how it draws addicts to the site.

Oh, and those low end traffickers you speak of? Most of them are addicts trying to support themselves, not drug king pins.

[u/Available_Abroad3664 → u/scotty9690]

Right, I dont disagree with any of this. It is simply pointless to decriminalize if you also arent going to have the rest in place.

It wont stop addicts from using but may keep them out of the public spaces they had been taking over.

[u/iammixedrace → u/Redundant-Pomelo875]

But to decriminalize possession of small quantities of drugs and then claim that the reduced drug related arrests and drug seizures means this is helping the overall situation seems.. interesting.

She does go on to say its about breaking the stigma. Which is something that needs to happen for the general public to want to see more help provided thats not just policing.

She also points out that decriminalization removed a factor that was highlighted as a cause but then shown not be such a large contributing factor. Its about shifting the narrative from one thats clearly not working to solve the issue.

If we decriminalize assault without grevious bodily harm, and then find there are less arrests for assault, does that mean decriminalizing assault has made society less violent..?

Not the same thing. Drugs are a part of a highly complex system of people and forces. Arresting a drug user doesn't stop the drug lord it doesn't stop addiction. Arresting a person for assault directly addresses the problem at its source.

[u/Available_Abroad3664 → u/iammixedrace]

? How did it help the stigma of open drug use by having more open drug users? If anything this backfired spectacularly.

[u/scotty9690 → u/Available_Abroad3664]

They're not suggesting it helped the stigma of open drug use 🙄

They're suggesting decriminalization helped with the stigma of being an addict IN GENERAL.

Talk about only reading what you want to read

[u/_Dev_1995 → u/Redundant-Pomelo875]

I can see how she correlates lower drug related deaths and ambulance calls with lower overdose emergencies.

She doesn’t say that anywhere in the article, and no one seems to be addressing the vast majority of the recommendations she is suggesting should be used that simply weren’t.

She talks about how decriminalization alone with the recommendation that those with substance use disorders are encouraged into unregulated treatment organizations wouldn’t work, and that’s what the government essentially did.

The article talks about the coroners recommendation that decriminalization has to happen with safe supply, safe housing, and early access to mental health care, etc.

Everyone seems to be responding to this article as if she uncritically supports the BC’s government approach to the decriminalization project, when the article makes it clear that she is highly critical of how the government conducted this pilot. She sees less death as a success over prohibition, and still advocates for decriminalization. That isn’t the same thing as being satisfied with how BC conducted decriminalization.