Vancouver, BC—The Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) and the Policy Roundtable on Substance Prevention, Education, and Recovery (PROSPER) applaud the decision of British Columbia’s government to end the province’s dangerous experiment with drug decriminalization.
“This is excellent, long-overdue news for public health—and a move we at FDPS and PROSPER have long advocated for,” said FDPS CEO Kevin Sabet. “Making it easier for people with serious addiction and mental-health issues to keep using dangerous drugs—including highly lethal ones like heroin and cocaine—in the name of ending ‘stigma’ is a recipe for increasing harm, not reducing it. Although BC’s program, launched in 2023, went on for too long, Health Minister Josie Osborne and the rest of the provincial government deserve credit for facing up to the reality of this policy, however well-intentioned it was.
“Policies designed to remove impediments to drug use help no-one. People with addiction need treatment, not a green light. Kudos to British Columbia for coming to grips with this fact.”
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