With B.C. on track to count 2022 as 鈥減ossibly the worst year ever鈥� for toxic-drug deaths, the start of a three-year trial that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of illicit drugs is just around the corner.

Health Canada last May announced that as of Jan. 31, 2023, British Columbians aged 18 and older will be allowed to carry up to 2.5 grams of street drugs 鈥� including cocaine and fentanyl 鈥� without fear of penalty or seizure, provided the drugs are for personal use.

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Semiahmoo Peninsula locals who have seen the effects of such drugs firsthand have expressed mixed feelings on the exemption, describing it as everything from a step in a 鈥渃ompassionate direction,鈥� to a move that鈥檚 unlikely to have any significant impact on the opioid-crisis death toll.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not that I鈥檓 not in favour,鈥� Elenore Sturko, MLA for Surrey South and BC Liberal Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Addictions, said Monday (Jan. 9). 鈥淚 think that with the record number of people that are losing their life to drug toxicity, we have to take a bold action.

鈥淏ut where we stand as an Opposition, is it cannot be the only pillar of our system.

鈥淲e need to make sure that as we do this pilot of decriminalization, that we are also providing pathways to recovery for people, and sufficient and appropriate mental-health services so that people have a chance not just to be kept in illness, but to actually make a recovery.

鈥淚 just think that the pace at which we have sort of jettisoned towards decriminalization is far outpacing this government, how they鈥檝e been providing for those services. Lots of announcements, but very little in terms of treatment for people.鈥�

In announcing the move, government officials described the exemption as 鈥渁 critical step鈥� that will 鈥渞educe stigma and harm and provide another tool for British Columbia to end the overdose crisis,鈥� by removing barriers that prevent people from accessing services and treatment.

The threshold amount is just over half of the 4.5-gram limit that had been requested by the province, and it comes with caveats, including that B.C. improve health and social systems to support the implementation.

George Passmore, director of personal and family counselling and support for Sources Community Resource Centres, described the 鈥淥K鈥� given as a step in a 鈥渃ompassionate direction鈥� towards viewing those who use such substances as people 鈥渙f dignity, and worthy of community, not scorn and marginalization.鈥�

鈥淭hat can eventually result in less societal judgment, condemnation and social distancing, which can save pain and lives,鈥� Passmore said.

With the exemption looming, Passmore said he is also hopeful the new rules will generate 鈥渕ore nuanced鈥� conversations between parents and kids about substances; boost understanding and awareness of benefits versus harms, rather than simply stating 鈥渙h, it鈥檚 illegal,鈥� or 鈥渋t鈥檚 bad.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 glad that now鈥� we can shift the conversations more towards harm reduction, understanding healthy relationships with drug use.鈥�

However, the lower limit could also have an unintended consequence, he said 鈥� that of encouraging manufacturers to boost the potency of their drugs, 鈥渟o people can get a greater effect with a lesser amount.鈥�

According to statistics released by the BC Coroners Service last fall, illicit-drug toxicity deaths have doubled to 42 per 100,000 people since the opioid crisis was declared a public-health emergency in April 2016.

At least 10,000 people in B.C. have died due to toxic-drug overdoses since that declaration; 1,827 of them in the first 10 months of 2022. In October alone, at least 179 lives were lost to the poisoned supply.

Cole Izsak, a South Surrey resident and founder of Back on Track Recovery House, does not believe the numbers will improve with decriminalization. He pointed to abstinence-based recovery and treatment 鈥� which is the model his facility follows 鈥� as a more effective direction than the one chosen.

鈥淭o use our government鈥檚 resources to perpetuate addiction, it doesn鈥檛 feel right to me,鈥� Izsak said.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 feel compassionate. It鈥檚 disguised as compassion.鈥�

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Izsak said the Portuguese model of decriminalization 鈥� in which drug use and possession of small quantities are dealt with through an administrative process 鈥� is one B.C. could learn from. It has been 鈥渧ery effective over the past decade in decriminalizing simple possession,鈥� he said.

Since 2001, Portugal has been referring those caught using or possessing small amounts of illicit drugs to panels of legal, health and social-work experts tasked with helping them tackle issues related to their drug use.

The tactic has been credited with decreasing the number of users diagnosed with HIV, hepatitis B and C; increasing the number of users receiving voluntary drug treatment; and, reducing drug-user incarceration numbers. As well, the country鈥檚 overdose-death numbers are among the lowest in the European Union, according to a report in the series.

At Izsak鈥檚 facility, the focus is 鈥渢eaching (residents) how to live and showing them that clarity of mind and body is the right thing to do, even if getting high is fun sometimes.鈥�

鈥淚n this day and age, (using drugs comes at) too great a cost,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 Russian roulette, because there鈥檚 fentanyl in so much.鈥�

Sturko 鈥� who left the Surrey RCMP to pursue politics specifically because of the opioid crisis 鈥� noted decriminalization is not exactly new in B.C. There has been a form of it 鈥渇or quite some time,鈥� she said, explaining that B.C. Prosecution Service 鈥渧ery rarely鈥� follows through on simple possession charges.

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She plans to meet with community advocates and people with lived experience, as well as her colleagues in other ministries in an effort to have a meaningful impact on the opioid crisis.

Passmore, noting the opioid crisis is the number 1 cause of deaths in B.C., said an 鈥渦pstream鈥� approach is key, and the new rules do have the potential to effect some change.

鈥淚f anything, I hope that the decriminalization can really result in a shift in focus towards caring about people who are using substances in a variety of ways, and think about how do we connect with folks and support their well-being, without necessarily requiring them to stop using.鈥�