What’s next for B.C.’s decriminalization experiment

B.C. Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry is calling on communities to provide the missing supports that widespread public drug use exposed during decriminalization, including more safe consumption sites.Premier David Eby has asked Ottawa to effectively recriminalize possession and use of illicit drugs in public places, just 15 months into a three-year pilot project that was Canada’s first decriminalization trial. After defending the policy as a measure intended to save lives amid a toxic drug crisis that is killing an average of seven British Columbians each day, Mr. Eby retreated because of a widespread backlash over public disorder related to illicit drug use in hospitals, parks and other public spaces.