decriminalization
Decriminalization alone will never be enough
March 24, 2025By: Nolan Steuart, SFU Student If you truly care about the betterment of society and saving lives, then you’ll agree BC’s adjustment to their previous drug decriminalization program was a step backward. In May 2024, the provincial government made changes to the drug decriminalization pilot project for the worse. The 2023 program allowed individuals to hold up to 2.5 grams of certain drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and opioids) without risk of being arrested, charged, or having their drugs seized. The latest changes made by the provincial government allow police to ask users to leave spaces that aren’t private residences, seize…
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BC’s decision to recriminalize drugs makes a bad problem worse
June 17, 2024By: Sofia Chassomeris, SFU Student Content warning: mentions of overdose and death. Since declaring the crisis eight years ago, BC has lost over 14,000 people to overdose, with Indigenous people making up nearly “six times the rate of other BC…
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Decriminalization isn’t enough — drug stigma needs to go
February 22, 2023By: Vee Babbar, SFU Student Content warning: mentions of drug use and addiction. BC’s new drug decriminalization laws are a considerable step forward. While some may view this change as too “liberal,” let’s clarify that decriminalization differs from legalization. Essentially,…
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Diving into the importance of drug decriminalization
February 2, 2023By: C Icart, Staff Writer As of January 31, if you are 18 or older in BC, you “will now be able to possess up to a cumulative 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA within the province.” Instead…
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Exploring Canada’s racist history of drug prohibition
July 15, 2022By: Olivia Visser, Staff Writer Content warning: anti-Asian racism, anti-Indigeneity, white supremacy, xenophobia, drugs, and drug-related death This month, BC set out to be Canada’s first province to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs starting January 2023. The…
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