It’s been a year since B.C. got permission to decriminalize possessing small amounts of some street drugs. At the time, B.C.’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions said this would “break down the stigma that stops people from accessing life-saving support and services.”

But since then, B.C. recorded its highest-ever number of deaths from illicit drugs in 2023. And in response to public outcry, the provincial government has sought to limit drug use in more public areas like beaches and playgrounds.

Andrea Woo is a staff reporter at The Globe’s Vancouver bureau, and she’s won a National Newspaper Award for her coverage of the toxic drug crisis. She’ll tell us what we know about how decriminalization works in B.C., and if anyone thinks it’s working out.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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A year of drug decriminalization in B.C.