Vancouver, BC: “The NDP government has finally admitted what British Columbians have known for years: drug decriminalization didn’t work.

The Eby government’s admission comes as the three-year federal exemption that underpins the pilot approaches its expiry date on January 31, 2026. After months of rising public concern, the government is now conceding what families, front-line workers, and communities have been warning for years: the NDP’s risky experiment with drug decriminalization has negatively impacted our downtowns, communities and schools.

From the outset, businesses, local governments, and police raised alarms about increased public drug use and disorder in community spaces. Instead of acting quickly to tighten the rules and restore confidence, the NDP defended the approach until the consequences became impossible to ignore.

After three years or disorder and chaos, the NDP government cannot even provide the number of people who were directed to treatment options.

British Columbians deserve clarity on how the government will address this crisis moving forward. However, all that was announced today was the expansion of a phone line.

British Columbians don’t need a government that runs policy experiments and then pretends the consequences were unpredictable, and they don’t need more NDP improvisation. They need a government focused on the basics: clarity, stability, and outcomes—safer streets, intervention, treatment and accountability for your actions.”

— Claire Rattée, MLA for Skeena, Critic for Mental Health, Addictions and Housing Supports

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Media Contact:
Francesca Guetchev, Press Secretary
Francesca.Guetchev@leg.bc.ca
+1 (672) 922-0948