The government of British Columbia is appealing a court decision that suspended legislation aimed at reducing illicit drug use in public places. The province is facing a worsening overdose crisis, with a record number of overdose deaths reported in 2023. A pilot project, which started in January 2023, allowed adults to possess small amounts of certain illegal drugs without facing arrest or charges. However, the legislation that would have fined or imprisoned individuals for drug use in specific outdoor locations was put on hold.
British Columbia ’s government is seeking to overturn a B.C. Supreme Court judgment that suspended legislation designed to curb illicit drug use in public places as the province struggles to contain a worsening overdose crisis . The toll of that crisis has reached a grim new magnitude: B.C.’s coroner reported Wednesday that the province set a record in 2023 for overdose deaths from unregulated drug use after 2,511 British Columbia ns died last year. Drug deaths in B.C.
have climbed every year for the past decade, save for a dip in 2019., the first of its kind in Canada. The pilot project, which required federal approval, launched on Jan. 31, 2023. Since then, adults in B.C. have not been arrested or charged for possessing small amounts of certain illegal drugs most commonly associated with overdoses, nor are their drugs seized.passed the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act in November, which would have allowed police to fine or imprison people who refuse to comply with orders not to use drugs in certain outdoor locations, including places frequented by childre
British Columbia Government Court Judgment Drug Use Legislation Overdose Crisis Overdose Deaths Illicit Drugs Public Places