Drug decriminalization is one of the key topics being discussed at the Union of BC Municipalities Convention in Vancouver.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and other members of government addressed delegates stating the current pilot program is far from perfect but we can’t arrest our way out of the problem.
PG City Councillor, Garth Frizzell attended the session and says an amendment to the policy was tabled and passed rather quickly.
“The provincial government lobbied the federal government to make a quick change to that exemption – so as of yesterday, that decriminalization does not apply around specific areas where children are like water parks or play parks. They heard it, they saw it, they implemented it. That is a big change.”
Frizzell added another resolution facing a vote is where communities are asking the provincial government to better fund mental health and addiction treatment and recovery services, which includes overdose prevention, access to safe supplies, and drug testing.
He added while some of these services are being rolled out in major urban centers, it’s far from a leveled playing field everywhere else.
“Testing kits and other means are being implemented across the province but the challenge that we heard from smaller communities is that often we are not seeing those tools roll out on the same speed in places like ours like in the big city.”
“The big piece here at UBCM is that we can get these issues on the table, identify what some of the solutions could be, and then in cases like yesterday (Monday), get some of them implemented.”
BC Health Minister Adrian Dix is slated to speak at the convention today (Tuesday) at 1:45.
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