opioid crisis

Vancouver, January 15, 2026: Canada’s western province of British Columbia has announced it will allow its drug decriminalisation pilot programme to lapse at the end of January, marking a significant shift in its approach to tackling the opioid crisis. Launched in 2023 as a three-year trial, the initiative was designed to reduce overdose deaths and encourage people struggling with addiction to seek treatment by removing criminal penalties for possession of small quantities of illicit drugs. British Columbia was the only province in the country to implement such a policy. However, provincial health authorities now say the programme has not produced…