B.C. mayors lend support to Vancouver’s drug decriminalization plan
The City of Vancouver applied for an exemption from federal drug laws that would decriminalize the possession of 15 illicit drugs including psilocybin. Mayors from Victoria, Saanich, Nanaimo, Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam and Kamloops all signed a letter in support of the so called “Vancouver Model”, recognizing that the current approach to the opioid crisis is ineffective. Saanich mayor Fred Haynes believes that if the exemption is granted, “there would be less police involvement, access to a regulated drug supply and less stigma around addiction”.