Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette is closing the door for now on following British Columbia in decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of hard drugs to combat the opioid crisis.
“In the short term, it’s not in the plans,” said Mr. Jolin-Barrette on Wednesday. Currently, we are already working with the programs we have. “Last year, the minister had raised in parliamentary committee the idea of diverting the simple possession of drugs. The government could then direct hard drug users to help resources.
On Tuesday, Ottawa announced that in British Columbia, it will be possible to be in possession of 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, ecstasy or methamphetamine without being arrested or charged. This measure will apply strictly to the use of drugs for personal purposes and will come into force next year.
In a press briefing, Québec Solidaire MP Alexandre Leduc described the strategy adopted in British Columbia as “very good news”. “It’s important, it can save lives,” he said. Co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois added that people struggling with addiction “are not bandits”. “Addiction itself is a health issue and sometimes a social issue and that’s how it should be approached,” he argued.
On video: Hard drugs decriminalized in British Columbia
Liberal MP Marc Tanguay said for his part that we needed to have a debate in Quebec about the decriminalization of possession of hard drugs. If opioid overdoses are “a real crisis in British Columbia”, this reality also exists in Quebec, he argued.
On the Parti Québécois side, MP Pascal Bérubé believes that certain experts and doctors should be questioned about the impacts of overdoses in Quebec. “I don’t think we’re ready to have that debate,” he said. But if the figures were to give us indications similar to what we find in downtown Vancouver, the question will certainly have to be addressed. »
With Boris Proulx