Politics

Vancouver [BC] proposes decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs

Vancouver would become the first Canadian city to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs under a new proposal aimed at reducing the number of overdose deaths.

If approved by council, the city and Vancouver Coastal Health will submit a formal request to the federal ministers of Health and Public Safety and to Justice Minister and Attorney-General David Lametti. Under Section 56 of the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Minister of Health can exempt from provisions of the act “any person or class of persons … if, in the opinion of the Minister, the exemption is necessary for a medical or scientific purpose or is otherwise in the public interest.” This exemption has been used to allow for the operation of supervised drug-use sites and to conduct research or clinical trials that involve controlled substances.

Original Article (The Globe and Mail):
Vancouver proposes decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs
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