News

:

,

“It’s a win” Revelstoke social worker reacts to BC’s decriminalization of illicit drugs

Window on a street front reads Community Connections Revelstoke Society. To the left is a mural of a fish in blue water.
Community Connections Revelstoke provides, among other things, harm reduction services for people who use illicit drugs. Photo by Meagan Deuling.
Meagan Deuling - VF 2590 - Revelstoke • BC | 03-06-2022
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on pinterest
Share on email
Share on print

British Columbia will decriminalize up to 2.5 grams of illicit drugs, starting on January 31, 2023. The announcement was made by Carolyn Bennett and Sheila Malcolmson, the federal and provincial ministers of mental health and addictions, on Wednesday in Vancouver.

The move is in response to the opioid crisis in the province. In 2021, the BC Coroner Service reported 2236 deaths from toxic, illicit drugs. In 2019 that number was 981. A toxic drug crisis was declared in BC in 2016.

Erin Maclachlan is a social worker with Community Connections in Revelstoke. She says the move is a win, and a step in the right direction towards bringing a safe supply of drugs towards people who use them.

Here's StokeFM's conversation with Erin Maclachlan, which aired on Friday, June 3.

Download Audio