Local reaction to B.C.'s new illegal drug exemption initiative
A new health initiative on the west coast is turning heads across the country, including Simcoe County.
Starting today, substance users in British Columbia caught with small amounts of certain drugs won't face arrest or fines.
While some appreciate B.C.'s effort toward decriminalization, some local advocates are skeptical about it.
"I think it's a recipe for disaster myself," says CTV News Public Safety Analyst Chris Lewis.
This week B.C. began a three-year exemption from Health Canada that allows residents over 18 to carry up to 2.5 grams of opioids.
"A big reason that this pilot project came into place was because we're acknowledging that people who use drugs aren't necessarily criminals. People who use drugs are struggling with trauma. They're using for a whole bunch of reasons," says Gilbert Centre for Social & Support Services Harm Reduction Program Manager Sarah Tilley.
However, due to trafficking charges that come with being caught with more than 2.5 grams of these substances, experts are concerned that this helps people partying on weekends more than vulnerable dependents who carry the largest volume.
"It's going to likely increase the harm of that criminalization towards people who are not trafficking but who are trying to survive," says Tilley.
Some suggest this experiment will declutter the court system, but others fear it gives police less incentive to engage with small-time offenders.
"For sure, it's a drain on police officers to deal with that, but there's also a bonus in there that some of the people that they deal with ultimately are looking to make a deal," says Lewis.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says they will be watching optimistically based on other examples, yet some fear the cons will outweigh the pros.
"There still needs to be some level of enforcement. There still needs to be some fear in getting caught by people that have amounts of drugs that could be fatal, particularly in this fentanyl world," says Lewis.
Organizations like the Gilbert Centre say the best solution comes from listening to the right people.
"We need to listen to the people who are being harmed, and we need to prioritize what they tell us they need and not some idea we think might work for them," says Tilley.
Tilley also believes this will disproportionately impact people of colour and indigenous people who have a higher rate of charge and conviction for drug-related offences in Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime
Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.

Police find 6 bodies, including 1 child, in St. Lawrence River
The bodies of six people, including one child, were found in the St. Lawrence River Thursday afternoon after an air search involving the Canadian Coast Guard, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police said.
House abandoned by couple who 'disappeared' years ago nightmare for neighbour on upscale street
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
'Nova Scotians' sense of safety was rocked': RCMP failures dominate inquiry's final report into 2020 mass shooting
A long list of failures by Nova Scotia RCMP leadership and policing systems dominate the final report into Nova Scotia's April 2020 mass shooting.
Facebook users consume more fake news than users of Twitter, other social media sites: Study
When it comes to election misinformation on social media, Facebook takes the cake, according to a new study which found heavy Facebook users were far more likely to consume fake news than Twitter or other social media sites.
Gwyneth Paltrow not at fault for ski collision, jury decides
Gwyneth Paltrow won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided Thursday that the movie star wasn't at fault for the crash.
Meet the Canadian astronauts up for a seat on the Artemis II mission to the moon
This Sunday, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will announce the four astronauts that will be blasting off to fly around the moon for the Artemis II mission, one of whom will be a Canadian astronaut.
Memes, ski etiquette and that missing GoPro video: Highlights from the Gwyneth Paltrow trial
When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.
UCP candidate, slammed for comments on pornography in schools, quits
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.