Canada will temporarily decriminalize some illegal drugs in British Columbia|Transformer18|CC BY 2.0
Canada will decriminalize the usage of some drugs for three years starting January 31, 2023.
Possession of up to 2.5 grams of drugs like cocaine, MDMA and some opioids will be allowed, for personal use in British Columbia for adults, to tackle the growing drug abuse problem in the area.
British Columbia has been suffering from drug abuse for some time now. In 2016, the province declared overdose deaths from fentanyl a public health emergency. Since the pandemic, overdose deaths have surged in the area.
According to the government, the exemption does not apply to airports, schools, and members of the Canadian military.
The federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Carolyn Bennet, said that the government could make real-time adjustments according to the exemption analysis.
