BC's Drug Decriminalization Cut Police Encounters, Not Overdose Deaths

British Columbia's time-limited decriminalization of small amounts of illegal drugs was associated with a sharp drop in police encounters for drug possession, but neither the policy nor its later partial reversal was linked to any detectable change in overdose deaths or drug-related hospitalizations, according to a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

In January 2023, the BC government decriminalized possession of up to 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, aiming to reduce overdose deaths and encourage treatment by lowering the fear and stigma that lead people to use drugs alone or avoid support. Amid concerns about public drug use, the province partially recriminalized possession in most public spaces in May 2024, while keeping it decriminalized in designated spaces; in January 2026, BC chose not to renew the policy.

Lead author Dr. Daniel Myran of the University of Toronto and colleagues compared police encounters, hospitalizations and drug-toxicity deaths in BC with those in Ontario and Alberta over a five-year period from August 2020 to March 2025. Decriminalization was associated with a 39% decrease in police encounters for drug possession, which returned to pre-decriminalization levels once partial recriminalization took effect. Across the three provinces, the researchers recorded 97,630 police encounters for drug possession, 161,278 opioid-related hospitalizations and 29,730 drug-toxicity deaths over the study period.

Neither decriminalization nor partial recriminalization was linked to changes in drug-related hospitalizations or overdose deaths in BC. Hospitalizations and deaths did fall in BC during the recriminalization period, but similar declines occurred elsewhere in Canada at the same time, suggesting broader national trends were the likely cause rather than the policy change.

"The absence of changes in overdose outcomes highlights that there are no simple solutions to the overdose crisis in Canada and that other factors and interventions are urgently needed," Myran said.