BC Decriminalizes Drugs…But Why? – Cannabis News, Lifestyle

A federal exemption has allowed British Columbia (BC) to decriminalize drugs. British Columbia adults may possess small amounts of substances. Things like opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.

Since drug prohibition is Ottawa’s responsibility, there had to be an exemption for British Columbia. BC is the first and only province to receive this exemption, but cities like Toronto have also applied.

The exemption begins on January 31, 2023 and lasts until January 31, 2026, unless renewed or terminated.

BC Decriminalized: Details

There will be no stationary trade for cocaine and ecstasy. Instead, Canadians in British Columbia are not arrested for having less than 2.5 grams of opioids. Or cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.

Federal Secretary of Mental Health and Addiction Carolyn Bennett said the move is part of an effort to curb the province’s opioid-related deaths. BC recorded 2,224 drug overdose deaths in 2021. Since 2016, the death toll has reached nearly 10,000.

Proponents welcome the change, having long argued that addiction is a mental health problem, not a criminal one.

The delay until next year is intended to give government bureaucracy and other related stakeholders time to prepare for the policy change.

In addition to granting decriminalization, the federal government is providing $11.78 million for addiction programs in British Columbia.

BC Decriminalized: But Why?

Supporting BC’s decriminalization of all drugs is a no-brainer. But one wonders why the federal government hasn’t done that for cannabis. Canadians waited three years for Liberals to come to legalization.

At the time, Trudeau’s liberals told us that decriminalization would not take profits out of the hands of criminals. Even decriminalization would not protect the children.

It doesn’t matter that these alleged “criminals” are peaceful BC bud farmers unrelated to violent gangs. Or that teenage use was already declining before legalization.

Bill Blair said decriminalizing cannabis would “create a much greater risk to our communities”. Justin Trudeau said the “fact” is that decriminalization “actually provides a legal stream of income for criminal organizations.”

So why can the government allow BC to decriminalize cocaine in 2022 but not cannabis in 2015? Why did they ignore all the evidence from the Allard judgment that proved beyond a reasonable doubt that BC Bud was peaceful and responsible?

Legalization vs. Decriminalization

The BC government said, “This exemption is not legalization.” But decriminalization used to be synonymous with legalization. So what has changed?

When people live together in a society, disputes inevitably arise and laws are needed. Because violence is unpredictable and costly, people naturally seek peaceful alternatives such as negotiation.

English common law is case-generated law and evolved from the resolution of actual disputes. For example, tort law, property law, contract law, commercial law, and criminal law would suffice to effectively regulate cannabis—no need for provincial and federal regulators.

Tort and criminal law provide security, while contract, property and commercial law facilitate cooperation and exchange. Politics does not have to come into play. In the Western legal tradition, laws were procedural and not pre-emptively created by politicians.

In this way, laws were created that limit human action only when people needed it. We need laws so that people in society can live together peacefully. Common law promotes rules for peace with minimal interference with civil and economic liberties.

This used to be the norm. Part of the reason Western civilization became so prosperous was its proto-anarchist legal system. One that developed “empirical natural rights” through “analogous evidence.”

Government laws are made by those who control the political apparatus. Legislation enables the exploitative actions of a politically dominant class. BC Decriminalization is only a matter of unfair prohibition laws created by the government.

Will BC decriminalization even work?

As the UK decriminalized cannabis, police became more aggressive towards individual possession levels. With the threat of small amounts being a criminal record, cannabis has become easy to find in smaller quantities everywhere.

Instead of cracking down on big dealers and organized crime as decriminalization advocates promised, the unintended consequence led to more cannabis hitting the market. As a result, police were compelled by conservative communities and anti-cannabis lobby groups to combat this increase in cannabis use by targeting those with smaller amounts.

Can we expect the same when BC decriminalizes? Smaller amounts of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA to flood the market? The false incentives could convince with full decriminalization for everything under 2.5 grams. The unintended consequences could be the spread of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.

But the drug war is a war on the people. So who cares what the market for these substances looks like. Man is responsible for his body and what he puts into it. If anything, BC’s decriminalization at 2.5 grams is too damn low.