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Originally Posted by opendoor
And yet, that policy ended almost a year ago and basically nothing has changed since. Police still don't really arrest people for possession of small amounts, just like they don't in other jurisdictions. If decriminalization was holding them back, then why hasn't anything been fixed since then?
Open drug use is primarily a real estate/affordability issue, not a decriminalization one. When you have a large homeless population, you'll tend to have more open drug use. For instance, Alberta has basically just as many drug-related deaths and hospitalizations as BC does, which suggests that drug use is just as high. But with lower cost of living, that drug use is more likely to take place in private spaces.
Eby is a pretty good politician though. Unlike a lot of politicians, he can read the room and pivot when it's expedient to do so (see his recent comments on the TFW program).
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Not an Eby fan.
I do like that he was able to admit that his policy didn't work. There are a lot of issues, where the right answer isn't clear and some degree of trial and error is required.
The main issue with these open drug policies that BC has been implementing is that they are a carrot without a stick. I've said it before, but decriminalization only works if you force people into rehab, jobs, etc...
Everyone talks about Portugal as this fine example, but Portugal doesn't just allow people to do what they want. They are giving addicts the choice between jail and rehabilitation options When they refuse the rehabilitation options, they get punted back into the criminal system. Essentially forcing them into parole without the criminal record.
And I agree with others that the cost of living in BC definitely forces more people onto the streets and into drugs. There are always people on the fringe. Calgary, in the 90s, was full of them. Guys who worked random labour jobs, would get a pay cheque, go on a bender, and would find a way to scrape together a few hundred dollars for low income housing. When that low income housing isn't available, these guys go on a bender and stay on that bender.