"Step in the right direction": Experts on what BC's drug decriminalization means

BC will be the 1st province to take this step to treat addiction as a health issue, not a criminal justice one. https://t.co/jAa8Ehmcqt pic.twitter.com/0yMqnvvp6k — BC Government News (@BCGovNews) January 26, 2023How does decriminalization affect drug users? But the new decriminalization rules won’t help all drug users. “It’s important to note that in other jurisdictions that have implemented decriminalization, like Portugal and Oregon, there hasn’t been a lot of reported increases of this kind,” said Richardson, who said even before decriminalization, drug use in public and the existence of paraphernalia were already common. “Decriminalization doesn’t change anything about the currently toxic drug supply and may not impact the risk of overdose or other adverse drug effects in beneficial ways,” said Richardson.