Between Public Health and Safety: Decriminalization of Drugs in British Columbia Through the Lens of Justice and Realpolitik
BC declared a health care emergency in April 2016 because thousands of residents had died of increasingly toxic illicit drugs. The BC government studied the problem and solutions in great detail. A major Death Panel Report to the BC Coroner updated in 2022 examined the deaths. Studies recommended evidence-based steps to reduce deaths from overdose…