'The whole idea is to keep people alive': Maritime drug addiction experts hope to follow B.C.'s decriminalization lead
Maritime addiction experts hope British Columbia’s move to decriminalize hard drugs will extend east.
Sharon MacKenzie of Sydney, N.S., says it would’ve been difficult to imagine British Columbia's landmark decision at the beginning of her career in addictions and mental health almost 30 years ago.
“I’m hopeful we will get on board with it,” says MacKenzie, who is a street nurse at the Ally Centre of Cape Breton. “I think we’re very close to embracing this.”
On Tuesday, British Columbia became the first jurisdiction in Canada to allow people aged 18 and older to legally possess a combined 2.5 grams of illegal drugs, including opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA.
Federal Addictions and Mental Health Minister Carolyn Bennett says British Columbia’s exemption is “a monumental shift in drug policy that favours fostering trust and supportive relationships in health and social services over further criminalization.”
The British Columbia exemption is part of a three-year pilot project.
The health departments in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island each say they’re monitoring British Columbia’s project results.
“I don’t think we have to sit back and watch British Columbia until the end of this pilot or demonstration project,” says MacKenzie. “I think we need to get on board.”
Julie Dingwell, the executive director of Avenue B Harm Reduction in Saint John, N.B., agrees, and is watching to see if other jurisdictions follow British Columbia’s lead.
“Toronto is applying for a license to do the same. I think this could work right across the country,” says Dingwell. “I think B.C. was pretty brave stepping out first. But they usually are, around issues of harm reduction.”
North America’s first sanctioned supervised injection facility opened 20 years ago in Vancouver.
New Brunswick’s first overdose prevention site, ENSEMBLE Services Greater Moncton, opened in late 2021.
First responders around the region are answering multiple drug-related emergency calls daily, including three overdose calls within two hours at a Moncton church in late December.
The Saint John Police Force says emergency calls related to drug overdoses increased nearly 40 per cent in 2022, compared to 2021.
In April, Saint John police issued a warning about Carfentanil -- an opioid drug meant to immobilize large animals -- potentially circulating in the community.
“I think we’re talking about addictions more, and that’s a good thing,” says Dingwell. “As we talk more about addictions and learn more about why it happens to many people, I think we’ll be more creative in trying to find the solutions that keep people alive.”
“The whole idea is to keep people alive, it isn’t about anything else.”
With files from CTV Vancouver
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6956926.1720544990!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
The remnants of hurricane Beryl are heading to Canada. Here's where it's expected to land
A since-downgraded hurricane that claimed several lives and left a wake of destruction in its path is forecast to strike parts of Canada this week as a tropical storm.
Argentina shows its class in 2-0 win over gutsy Canada in Copa America semifinal
Goals by Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez lifted top-ranked Argentina past Canada as the star-studded South American side showed its pedigree in a 2-0 win in the Copa America semifinal on Tuesday.
Five hospitalizations in Ontario linked to plant-based refrigerated beverages recall
Ontario is confirming nine cases of listeriosis that are believed to be linked to a recall for Silk® and Great Value brand plant-based refrigerated beverages.
'Her whole future ahead of her': Sask. photographer captures Manitoba graduate posing on iceberg
Some say a photograph is simply a memory frozen in time – and a high school graduation photo taken in Churchill, Man. takes that adage to a completely new level.
'Hilarious and fun': Ottawa man surprised with 40th birthday party inside Value Village
As much as Tyler Garvey loves hunting for a vintage bargain, he never expected to celebrate his 40th birthday inside a Value Village location.
The body of an American climber buried by an avalanche 22 years ago in Peru has been found
Twenty two years ago, an avalanche buried American climber Bill Stampfl as he made his way up one of the highest peaks in the Andes mountains.
Russia orders the arrest of Alexei Navalny's widow, who lives abroad
A court in Russia ordered the arrest of the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny during a hearing Tuesday that was conducted in absentia as part of a sweeping Kremlin crackdown on the opposition.
Ukraine will stop Putin, Biden tells NATO in forceful speech
Joe Biden forcefully defended the foreign policy achievements of his presidency as he welcomed NATO member states to a Washington summit on Tuesday that is being closely watched by allies at home and abroad for proof the embattled U.S. president can still lead.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is pregnant
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who served eight and a half years for helping to kill her abusive mother, announced Tuesday that she is set to become a mother herself.