B.C. won’t extend its drug decriminalization project, health minister announces

published on January 14, 2026 by Jason Peters in CBC News

B.C. will not be continuing its drug decriminalization project, Health Minister Josie Osborne announced in Victoria Wednesday.

The three-year pilot project, which allowed people to be in possession of small amounts of illicit drugs, began on Jan. 31, 2023, and will expire at the end of this month.

The pilot project was in response to B.C.’s toxic drug crisis, which has claimed thousands of lives since a public health emergency was declared in 2016. Politicians and advocates have argued that decriminalizing drug use removes the associated stigma, treats the crisis as a health issue rather than a criminal one, and makes it more likely for people to seek help…