B.C. SEEKS EXEMPTION ON DECRIMINALIZING AS OVERDOSES SOAR

British Columbia is asking for a federal exemption to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use after more people died from overdoses in 2020 than any other year. Sheila Malcolmson, pictured, minister of mental health and addictions, said the province wants to see a national approach to decriminalization, but failing that, she has asked federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu to consider a provincial exemption. Decriminalization is a vital step toward saving lives because it helps reduce stigma as a barrier for treatment, she said. Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said 1,716 people died last year from street drug overdoses. The “alarming” death rate of 33.4 per 100,000 represented the most fatalities in a single year from any unnatural cause, she said.