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Decriminalization would apply to all drugs — even heroin and methamphetamine — but falls short of legalization, which removes prohibitions but also develops regulations for the production, sale and use of a substance (Canada’s approach to cannabis is an example). In 2001, Portugal decriminalized all drugs for personal use in response to a surge in heroin use.

Henry said B.C. could use its powers under the provincial Police Act to allow the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor-General to set broad provincial priorities with respect to people who use drugs. Or it could enact a regulation under the Police Act to prevent any member of a police force from using resources to enforce against simple possession offences under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

But Minister of Public Health and Solicitor-General Mike Farnworth quickly shot down Henry’s proposal. He thanked her for the report, but said laws around the possession of controlled substances remain federal, and “no provincial action can change that,” he said.

“We don’t believe that one province can go it alone,” Farnworth said. “It’s not appropriate for me, as minister, to be directing police in how they conduct their operations. What we need to ensure is that people are able to get the health, the help and the treatment that they need.”

Farnworth said years of government neglect of people with mental health issues and addictions have left his government to do work on housing, poverty reduction, primary care, and expanding access to legal, prescription alternatives to the toxic street-drug supply.