It is the first jurisdiction in the country to decriminalize the possession of small quantities of drugs in an effort to stem the growing wave of drug poisoning deaths.  As of January 2016, nearly 27,000 Canadians have died from opioid-related causes, according to the Public Health Service of Canada.
Resolving the opioid crisis by decriminalizing opioid access may seem contradictory.
But many substance abusers in recent decades have come to the conclusion over the last 20 to 30 years that the use of criminal sanctions to discourage people from using certain substances simply does not work.
“Apart from being ineffective, it is also clear that criminal sanctions for the use of certain substances have also had a number of unintended negative consequences,” said Michael John (MJ) Milloy, a researcher at the British Columbia Center on Substance Use.
These range from an increased risk of fatal overdose to a reduced likelihood of seeking treatment for drug addiction, he added.
The harms of criminalization and imprisonment fall more severely and unjustly on people who are racially poor, living with multiple mental health conditions, Milloy said, and that is why people are looking for alternatives.
“Decriminalization is not legalization.  “It does not mean that drugs are legal,” said Garth Mullins, a member of the Vancouver Drug Network.
Decriminalization, on the other hand, means that drug traffickers will continue to be arrested, but police will not arrest anyone for possession and use of small quantities of drugs.
Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, said it was important to note the context in which drug use was criminalized.
“It’s a big part of our culture that drugs are bad,” Culbert said.
He said deep-rooted negative stereotypes about drug addicts include that “they just lack this moral character to pull themselves out of their boots to get over anything they are or are just lazy.”
The reality is that people who have faced challenges that have left them with physical or emotional pain may not have the right tools to deal with it in any other way, turning to substances to numb their pain, Culbert said.
Drug use and criminalization affect First Nations people in a special way, said Carol Hopkins, executive director of the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation.
First Nations people are overrepresented in the criminal justice system and the reasons they are imprisoned may be linked to colonization and racism in Canada, said Hopkins, who also co-chaired the Health Canada Task Force on Substance Use. .
“Drug use is one way to deal with unresolved trauma,” he said.
While harm reduction services become available in urban areas, similar services are underfunded or inaccessible to First Nations communities.
Calling those who use drugs “criminals,” Hopkins said, does not examine whether they have access to things that ensure a good quality of life and further stigmatizes people for their life experiences.
He described it as inhumane for First Nations people to end up in prison for substance abuse, when it is often a way of dealing with experiences such as home schools, the effects of childcare or social issues such as lack of access to clean drinking water.
Conservative MP Brad Weiss, who represents riding the Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon, recently told reporters that decriminalization was part of a “liberal-on-crime” approach by the federal Liberal government.
“BC is in an opioid crisis,” he said.  “We do not see any commitment from this government to provide adequate, culturally sensitive care to Canadians and British Columbians who are addicted.  “We are at the center of addiction issues in Canada.”
Mullins disagrees that this approach will not work, saying “we have been committing heinous crimes for 100 years” and that prison itself is a traumatic experience that can lead to increased drug use.
“There is no evidence that he is doing anything to keep people safer or to keep people away from drugs or anything like that.  “More punishment just makes things worse,” he said.
But Mullins agrees that BC has not proposed a solution that fully addresses the problem.
“We have said we will need decriminalization and secure supply,” Mullins said.
A controlled and safe supply of opioids is intended to ensure that people do not rely on the unruly and highly toxic supply of drugs on the road.
Although Britain’s approved occupation limits have been criticized for being too far away, many supporters have said they are not really far enough.
Carolyn Bennett, the minister for mental health and addiction, told lawmakers in the parliamentary health committee last week that the government could not escalate decriminalization beyond organized crime.
“The government said, ‘We have to be very careful about that.’  And that’s true, “said Hopkins.
“We have to be careful about how we structure drug policy in Canada, but while we are careful, we can not afford to let fear take over.”