Kanada. IGNORING ITS OWN DATA, B.C. REVIVES CRIMINALIZATION
Kanada. IGNORING ITS OWN DATA, B.C. REVIVES CRIMINALIZATION
On January 14, 2026, the province of B.C. announced it would end its limited decriminalization policy and reinstate criminal penalties for personal drug possession.1 The province’s decision not to renew its decriminalization policy appears to have been informed – not by the province’s own data indicators, not by public health and safety experts, not by people most affected, not by health professionals – but by backroom political strategists, whose chief concern is their own hold on power.
This return to criminalizing and punishing people for their substance use is a step backward. More than that: by so thoroughly and disingenuously fumbling the potential of this initiative, the province of B.C. has done a deep and lasting disservice to people harmed by the unregulated toxic drug crisis worldwide. (Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, 14.01.2026)