Adults in British Columbia will be allowed to possess a combined total of 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.

Canada has announced it will temporarily decriminalise the possession of small amounts of some illicit drugs in British Columbia.

The province asked for the criminal code exemption after overdoses claimed more than two thousand lives in the region last year. This time-limited three-year trial is the first of its kind in Canada.

The substances will remain illegal but adults found in possession for personal use will not be arrested, charged or have their drugs seized. Instead, they will be offered information on available health and social services

British Columbia asked for the drug laws exemption in order “to remove the shame that often prevents people from reaching out for life-saving help”.

Federal minister of mental health and addictions Carolyn Bennett said on Tuesday that “for too many years, the ideological opposition to harm reduction has cost lives”.

“We are doing this to save lives, but also to give people using drugs their dignity and choices.”

The programme will run from 31 January 2023 to 31 January 2026.

There are some exemptions to the scheme, which will not apply to primary and secondary school grounds, child-care facilities, airports, or to members of Canada’s military.

More than 26,000 people died from opioid-related overdoses roughly between 2016 and 2021 across Canada. Since 2016 in British Columbia, when the province declared a public health emergency, more than 9,400 deaths have been recorded due to overdose.

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