Last year, a pilot program was launched in a Canadian province allowing adults to carry up to 2.5 grams of hard drugs for personal use. Soaring drug use in public spaces has raised concerns over public safety.

The Canadian province of British Columbia is reversing its policy of allowing the open use of hard drugs in public.

Premier David Eby said Friday that police will soon have the power again to enforce drug use laws in all public places, including hospitals, restaurants, parks, and beaches.

It brings to an end a much-criticized pilot program that allowed the personal use of some illegal drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, heroin, morphine, and fentanyl.

The program launched in January last year, to remove the stigma associated with drug use that keeps people from seeking help, was supposed to run for three years.

  • JeromeVancouver@lemmy.ca
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    7 months ago

    I dont think they made a uturn, they did however correct the course. Drugs are still decriminalized but police will have the ability to kick drug users out of playgrounds and beaches.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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      7 months ago

      Yeah, this seems pretty reasonable to me. The problem with drug criminalization is putting people in prison for using, not kicking them out of where they happen to be using if it isn’t their property.