The chief of a B.C. municipal police force has issued an open letter criticizing British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 drug decriminalization policies as ineffective in the face of the ongoing overdose crisis.

Delta Chief Const. Neil Dubord says in the letter that while he agrees with B次元官网网址渢he underlying principles of decriminalization,B次元官网网址� an early evaluation shows that the policy has not led to B次元官网网址渢he desired outcome.B次元官网网址�

B.C. decriminalized the possession of small amounts of certain drugs such as heroin, fentanyl and cocaine starting in late January as part of a three-year pilot program.

Dubord says there were 791 overdose deaths in the province between then and May, which B次元官网网址渃losely mirrorsB次元官网网址� the 772 deaths recorded during the same period last year.

In a written statement, the B.C. Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions says it agrees with DubordB次元官网网址檚 assessment that B次元官网网址渁 whole-system approachB次元官网网址� is needed to deal with the toxic drug crisis.

But the statement also says B次元官网网址渄ecriminalization is one critical wayB次元官网网址� the province is tackling the problem B次元官网网址渇rom every angle,B次元官网网址� and the government plans to spend $1 billion in its latest budget toward addressing addiction B次元官网网址� including $586 million for B次元官网网址渢reatment and recovery.B次元官网网址�

In his letter, Dubord cites a report in the Washington Post that describes Portugal as B次元官网网址渉aving doubtsB次元官网网址� about its own decriminalization policy, introduced in 2001 and widely cited as a success by policymakers worldwide.

The story describes locals attributing rising crime levels to a spike in the number of drug users.

Dubord says B.C. B次元官网网址渃an learn from PortugalB次元官网网址檚 experiences.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭he pitfalls of inconsistent policy, lack of oversight and measurement of initiatives, systems working in silos and funding decisions pose risks to the desired objectives of the B.C. decriminalization pilot project,B次元官网网址� he says.

READ ALSO:

READ ALSO: