The decriminalization in British Columbia of the possession of a small amount of hard drug could reduce deaths linked to overdoses but Quebec does not intend to follow this path.
• Read also: Possession of illegal drugs will be decriminalized in British Columbia
“It is not the intention of the Quebec government to imitate that of British Columbia” regarding the decriminalization of possession of hard drugs announced on Tuesday. In order to help people struggling with addiction problems, Quebec prefers to bet on a “prevention approach”, the Prime Minister’s press secretary, François Legault, told the Journal yesterday.
Since May 31, in British Columbia, it is legal to possess 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, ecstasy or methamphetamine without risking being arrested by the police. Under an accommodation granted to the province by the federal government, possession of small amounts of these hard drugs is now tolerated.
A sign that the issue is divided, federal parliamentarians rejected yesterday an NDP bill aimed at decriminalizing drugs throughout the country, following the example of British Columbia. This refusal, according to New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh, means that the Trudeau government will have “blood on its hands”.
Not in the right direction
"It's a step in the right direction, but it's not enough to solve the problem of overdoses that kill thousands of people every year in Canada," says Jean François Mary, CEO of Cactus Montreal.
Not a week goes by without this worker not receiving a phone call from a person affected by the death of a loved one. “Poor quality drugs circulate in the streets with dramatic consequences. These are preventable deaths, ”he says.
What is the situation in Quebec?
There are 450 deaths annually due to overdoses of opioids and other drugs in 2020 and 2021 in Quebec according to the most recent statistics from the National Institute of Public Health. Double the previous two years. “These drugs cause more deaths than road accidents and drownings. However, no prevention campaign is being conducted in the major media to raise public awareness of this problem,” laments Mr. Mary.
While the situation was less critical in Quebec than in British Columbia and even than in Ontario, where opioids and other hard drugs kill a large number of users, a recent seizure of methamphetamine capsules has shown that Montreal is more further affected by this phenomenon. The metropolis is the place where the cases are the most numerous but Quebec reports many similar tragedies. The Abitibi, Saguenay and Outaouais regions are also affected.
Is British Columbia's decision the right one?
The federal government, which has jurisdiction over legalization, has not made hard drugs legal; it only exempted the province from having to apply criminal code penalties for possession of “small amounts” of certain substances.
“The repression that we have always applied, either imprisoning or imposing fines on users, does absolutely nothing. This is why British Columbia's decision is a good measure,” comments Dr. Julie Bruneau, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Addiction Medicine and physician at the CHUM. But she adds that this exemption is certainly not enough to curb the problem. It is necessary to better take care of people at risk who are poorly integrated into the health system.
Could Quebec or other provinces move forward?
Nothing prevents provinces from claiming the same exemption as British Columbia. Quebec does not intend to do so even though the City of Montreal has already indicated that it wishes such an accommodation. "There is a consensus around the fact that the repression of users is not the right approach", indicates the general manager of Cactus Montreal.
For Dr. Bruneau, the Vancouver exemption is explained by the scale of the opioid crisis in the territory. “In Quebec, we have the impression that the situation is not as serious. Yet opioids are increasingly killing here too. In 2017, fentanyl was found in 10 to 15% of overdose deaths in Quebec. This proportion has reached 35% today. »
