UPFRONT NextphaseofBCdrugdecriminalization needed,saysDeltaPoliceChief

SANDOR GYARMATI sgyarmati@delta-optimist com

Steps have been taken but more is needed to help those with drug addictions, says Delta Police Chief Neil Dubord.

At a recent Delta Police Board meeting, Dubord provided an update on the decriminalization in B.C. of possessing small amounts of illicit drugs

The federal government last year announced that the province would be granted a three-year exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to remove criminal penalties for those who possess a small amount for personal use.

The exemption is in effect from Jan. 31, 2023, to Jan 31, 2026

The substances remain illegal, but adults who have 2 5 grams or less of the certain hard drugs for personal use will no longer be arrested, charged or have their drugs seized People will be offered information on resources, but they do not have to accept it.

Delta officers are undergoing several phases of training including interacting with those carrying small amounts of drugs. The training will continue throughout the three-year exemption period.

Dubord told the board that resources are needed to be able to get people into the help they want.

“I truly believe that something as a police leader and something we feel as an organization, that we need to advo- cate for the second phase of decriminalization,” he said. “I think what is still missing is the recovery and treatment program in decriminalization We have people now that have safe supply, and hopefully that will keep them alive, but we still have no way to be able to get people into recovery and treatment.

“I think that’s something police leaders, and I’ve talked to my colleagues in other police departments as well, need to be able to start talking about, and that’s the next stage of the decriminalization process and how the government supports a rapid treatment program, a recovery program. ”

Dubord’s concerns were echoed by Stacey Bampton of the police department’s new Community Navigator Program, the first program of its kind in B.C.

Aimed at helping people avoid the criminal justice system, the program, among other things, assists vulnerable people by guiding them to resources including housing, addiction, mental health supports or other provincial programs

Bampton told the board that some of the gaps identified when it comes to supports in Delta include housing, safe shelter beds as well as access to mental health and substance use supports, which often have very lengthy intake processes and wait lists.

In a recent open letter, Dubord said Portugal’s model of drug decriminalization is currently being reconsidered, noting it underscores the necessity for a comprehensive, sustainable and flexible whole-system funding model that focuses on a continuum of care. He said B C s ’ model is similarly only a piece in a very complex puzzle.

Meanwhile, in a recent interview,

City Manager Sean McGill said the city currently has no plan to implement an additional new bylaw, or tweak current bylaws, to specifically ban open use of small amounts of illegal drugs in public, choosing instead to monitor the situation and rely on existing regulations