(Ottawa) Cities and provinces are asking the federal government for permission to decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs in the hope of reducing overdose deaths.
Posted at 9:24 a.m.
British Columbia, Toronto and Vancouver want to be exempt from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Mental Health and Addictions Minister Sheila Malcolmson says the request is one of the things her government is proposing to save lives.
The opioid crisis killed more than 2,200 people in British Columbia last year. Half of these deaths occurred at home.
Experts say the stigma of addiction drives people to do drugs alone. It is then more difficult to come to their aid in the event of an overdose.
Toronto Public Health Director Dr.D Eileen de Villa sees the city’s request as a step in adopting a different overdose strategy.
The exemptions would decriminalize small amounts for personal use of substances such as cocaine, heroin or fentanyl within municipal or provincial limits.
Health Canada has not yet authorized the applications for authorization that are under review. The agency will not comment on them.
This article was produced with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.