b.c. drug law exemption could cut seizures of some drugs in half
4 minute read
starting jan. 31, adults in b.c. who have 2.5 grams or less of certain illicit substances for personal use will no longer be arrested, charged or have their drugs seized.
vancouver archives, windsor police service, png; photo illustration: nathan griffiths
vancouver police seized hundreds of kilograms of illicit drugs in recent years, but they were often just one or two grams at a time.
a postmedia analysis of more than 15,000 drugs seized from july 2020 to july 2022 found that big busts were relatively rare. the typical amount was less than two grams for some of the most common drugs seized by the vpd.
some drug-policy researchers say the findings are troubling.
“we know that those seizures can be really catastrophic events for people. if people are in acute withdrawal and they have their drugs taken away from them, their options are very grim,” said kora debeck, a research scientist with the b.c. centre for substance use.
the findings track closely to a study of vpd drug seizure data from 2019-2020 conducted by debeck and graduate student erica mcadam. they found that seizures of one or two grams made up about 50 per cent of seizures in that period.
“the fact that they are happening so frequently, and for small amounts is horrific,” she said.
the most recent data came from a freedom-of-information request posted on the vpd’s website that listed illicit drugs seized and tested by vancouver police from july 2020 to july 2022. the list may not account for all the drugs seized, as drugs intended to be immediately destroyed may not have been tested, according to the vpd.
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the upcoming decriminalization of small amounts of certain illicit drugs in b.c. could reduce the number of seizures of some drugs by more than 50 per cent, according to postmedia’s analysis of the two years of data.
starting on jan. 31, adults in b.c. will be allowed to possess up to 2.5 grams of cocaine, mdma, methamphetamine and opioids. this drug policy exemption is the first of its kind in canada.
“substance use is a public health issue, not a criminal one,” said sheila malcolmson, b.c.’s addictions minister, in a statement when the policy was announced last may. “by decriminalizing people who use drugs, we will break down the stigma that stops people from accessing life-saving support and services.”
debeck called the policy “incredibly important,” but said the 2.5 gram threshold is too low.
“a goal of trying to limit 50 per cent of those (police) interactions doesn’t seem like a very lofty public health goal,” she said, noting that a lot of people will be left out because of the low threshold.
“we can pretty safely infer that there are going to be people who are more dependent on drugs, more vulnerable and really the ones that need the most protection.”
debeck would prefer the threshold be nine or 10 grams.
an analysis of drug seizure data from 2019-2020 recommended a much higher allowable threshold for personal possession.
erica mcadam and kora debeck, b.c. centre on substance use
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debeck also cautioned against viewing decriminalization as a way to address the toxic drugs that have flooded b.c., killing more than 10,000 people since the province declared a public health emergency in 2016.
“our expectation should not be that (decriminalization) is a response to the drug toxicity crisis,” she said, noting that decriminalization on its own will do nothing to address the toxic drugs killing people across b.c.
“my concern is that people are expecting decrim to instantly address the overdose crisis,” debeck said. “and when it doesn’t, they’ll say decrim failed.”
the vpd declined to answer questions about the drug seizure data, instead pointing to a 2020 report our community in need, which notes that vpd has a decade-long policy of not requesting charges for simple possession.
debeck said that the vpd’s policy of not recommending charges for simple possession are “very well enforced and understood,” but that some officers still feel they are obliged to seize illicit drugs or they feel “they’re not doing their job.”
the vpd’s drug policy “provides officers with a broad range of discretion” when dealing with illicit drugs, according to the vpd’s our community in need report.
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not everything swept up by police turned out to be illegal. among the drugs seized was a wide range of medications, including prescription antidepressants, antibiotics, and over-the-counter pain medicine like ibuprofen and acetaminophen. in one instance, police seized 37 grams of what turned out to be pez candies.
in the two year period covered by the data, almost 100 kilograms of opioids and more than 60 kilograms each of cocaine and methamphetamine were seized, along with more than seven kilograms of benzodiazepines, a powerful sedative increasingly identified as a factor in overdose deaths in the province.
roughly 30 per cent of seizures were stimulants, including cocaine and methamphetamine, making stimulants the most commonly seized drug, followed closely by opioids. fentanyl made up almost 80 per cent of all seized opioids.
police were unable to identify about 22 per cent of materials sent to the lab for testing.
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