A PCO public opinion research report asked members of the South Asian diaspora living in Metro Vancouver and Interior British Columbia their views on the opioid crisis and the prevalence of opioid addiction in their communities, as first reported by Blacklock’s reporter on Aug. 23.
“All believed this to be a significant issue at present and many were of the view that rising rates of addiction had contributed to increased crime in their communities,” the report said.
Under this exemption, effective from Jan. 31, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2026, adults 18 years and older in B.C. are not arrested or charged for possessing up to 2.5 grams combined of opioids (including heroin, morphine, and fentanyl), crack and powder cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA (ecstasy).
Only a “small number” knew about this experimental decriminalization of hard drugs, said the report. According to Blacklock’s, this was the first cabinet order of its kind since Parliament criminalized cocaine and opium in 1911.
Respondents were mostly negative in their reaction to this decision and believed that the federal government should instead be focused on “discouraging opioid use, including implementing greater penalties for those using and distributing these substances,” the report said.
When asked what steps the federal government had taken to address opioid addiction in B.C., several respondents had the impression that the government “had funded numerous supervised consumption sites across the province with the aim of limiting overdose deaths.”
Many participants said the government’s initiative to legalize hard drugs “would ultimately result in the increased usage of these substances, especially among younger individuals,” said the report.
Several individuals also “expressed concerns about the 2.5-gram limit, believing this was far too high of an amount and that for substances such as fentanyl there was no safe amount for an individual to consume.”
Regarding the proposal to divert individuals arrested for the possession of illicit drugs to drug treatment centres rather than prison, “many felt positively about this initiative,” said the report.
A number of participants said addiction should be regarded “more as an illness than a criminal behaviour” and that it was “more appropriate to provide treatment for these individuals rather than punishing them.”
Concerns Over ‘Drug Users Taking Advantage’
B.C. requested a waiver on drug prosecutions in 2021. The next year, a June 28, 2022, report prepared for the PCO warned that Canadians nationwide were opposed to drug decriminalization of any kind.“A large number were more opposed to the idea,” wrote researchers. “Many were concerned about drug users taking advantage of this initiative.”
Nonetheless, the House of Commons voted on May 29, 2022, to keep in place a “safe supply” policy in a vote of 209 to 113.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre brought forward a motion asking cabinet to “immediately reverse its deadly policies and redirect all funds from the taxpayer funded hard drug programs to addiction treatment and recovery.” However, it was rejected by the majority of MPs.
At the time, B.C. NDP MP Gord Johns told the House of Commons, “One thing I understand about the Conservatives and what they are bringing forward is frustration,” adding that “Canadians are frustrated by the lack of action by the government to respond to this crisis.”
