B.C. to ban drug use in all public places in major overhaul of decriminalization

The move comes amid a raging debate over the province's approach to the ongoing deadly toxic drug crisis, including decriminalization and "safe supply."

The B.C. government says it will ban drug use in all public spaces, including parks and hospitals, as part of a major overhaul of its drug decriminalization pilot project.

The move comes amid a raging debate over the province’s approach to the ongoing deadly toxic drug crisis, including decriminalization and “safe supply.”

Premier David Eby said Friday that the province had made a formal request to Health Canada for changes to its exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which the three-year decriminalization pilot project operates under.

“Addiction is a health issue, it is not a criminal law issue, and that principle is what the entire decriminalization project was about, it was about removing the stigma for people struggling with addiction, preventing them potentially from reaching out to others to ask for help … for fear of arrest, for fear of a criminal record,” Eby said.

“But that compassion, that concern for people who are struggling does not mean that anything goes. We still have expectations around safety, public spaces, in the coffee shop, on the bus, in the park, on the beach.”

Under the changes, police will be able to take action against anyone using illicit drugs in public places ranging from transit to restaurants to beaches.

Law enforcement will be able to compel a person using drugs to leave the area, to seize their drugs “when necessary” or to arrest them if required.

The province says police will be given guidance only to arrest people for simple possession of drugs in “exceptional circumstances.”