After B.C.'s walk-back, uncertainty clouds Toronto decriminalization bid

Toronto's bid to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugs for personal use has been plunged into uncertainty in recent days, as drug policy experts suggest political debates over British Columbia's backtracking on the issue have hurt the city's application.

The city made a request to Health Canada in early 2022 for an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. That application was put back under the spotlight recently after British Columbia scaled back its own decriminalization pilot program. "As such, the exemption application is not at the state where it would be in front of the Minister for consideration and is not an active application," Saks' office wrote in a statement this week.

"We are committed to maintaining an open and constructive partnership with Health Canada," Toronto Public Heath wrote in a statement earlier this week. The federal government's pace when it comes to dealing with Toronto's application has long garnered criticism from drug users and advocates who say it fails to match the urgency required of an overdose crisis that has left hundreds of people dead in the city every year.

The model was co-sponsored by Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw, who described the city as already under"de facto" decriminalization in the city's 2023 submission. Officers have been directed to minimize personal possession charges and federal prosecutors had been told to only pursue the most serious cases of personal possession, such as those tied to impaired driving or posing a risk to children.

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