Canadian province tests decriminalising hard drugs

A Canadian province on Tuesday decriminalised the possession of small amounts of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and other hard drugs - in a radical policy shift to address an opioid overdose crisis that has killed thousands.

"The situation has never been more urgent," Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett told a news conference on the eve of the new rules taking effect. British Columbia is the epicenter of a crisis that has seen more than 10,000 overdose deaths since it declared a public health emergency in 2016. That represents about six people dying each day from toxic drug poisoning in the province of five million people, topping Covid-19 deaths at the onset of the pandemic.Officials hope the change in policy will remove the stigma associated with drug use that keeps people from seeking help, and foster the notion that addiction is a health issue.

"When I discovered how he died, I thought there must be a mistake. Jason doesn't do drugs. We have three young kids and he knows the risks," she said."But I was wrong. He died alone using an illegal substance."

2.5 grams of fentanyl is 50,000 doses. Surely the 2.5 gram threshold doesn't apply to fentanyl does it?

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