The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
End of B.C. drug decriminalization pilot marks a setback for drug policy reform in Canada, say advocates
January 18, 2026 | My Peace Region Now
Harm reduction advocates say British Columbia’s decision to end its decriminalization pilot marks a major setback for drug policy in Canada. Health Minister Josie Osborne said Wednesday the three-year pilot didn’t have the results the province hoped for. She said B.C. won’t ask Ottawa for an...
Critics weigh in on B.C. ending its experiment with drug decriminalization
January 16, 2026 | Global News Morning BC
Three years after it was launched, B.C. is pulling the plug on its drug decriminalization pilot project. Global News Morning speaks with Kora DeBeck, a Professor of Substance Use and Drug Policy in SFU’s School of Public Policy, about why the program failed to deliver the results the province ...
Decriminalization won’t be renewed
January 15, 2026 | Vancouver Sun
The province’s drug decriminalization test is coming to an end, three years after it was introduced with much fanfare as a measure meant to reduce stigma toward drug users and keep them alive until they could receive treatment. The pilot project was put in place in Januar...
B.C. won’t extend its drug decriminalization project, health minister announces
January 14, 2026 | 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. T...
B.C. premier says decriminalized public drug use did not work
January 07, 2026 | CBC Radio - On the Coast
Fiona Wilson is the chief of the Victoria Police Department and a former president of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police. Kora DeBeck is a Distinguished Professor of Substance Use and Drug Policy at Simon Fraser University. [Radio]...
