By Michelle Gamage \u00a0Local Journalism Initiative Reporter When British Columbia’s drug decriminalization pilot project came into force earlier this year, only two-thirds of police officers had been trained in what that meant, The Tyee has learned. This comes from a document accessed via a freedom of information request that laid out the meeting minutes of the province’s Mental Health Working Group back in January 2023. As of Jan. 30, 2023, 66 per cent of all frontline officers had been given training on decriminalization, according to the FOI. The pilot project, which made it legal for people 18 years and older to carry a combined total of 2.5 grams of opioids, crack, powder cocaine, meth, ecstasy or MDMA, kicked off the next day. The pilot will run until Jan. 31, 2026…. <\/p>\n
By Michelle Gamage \u00a0Local Journalism Initiative Reporter When British Columbia’s drug decriminalization pilot project came into force earlier this year, only two-thirds of police officers had been trained in what that meant, The Tyee has learned. This comes from a document accessed via a freedom of information request that laid out the meeting minutes of the province’s Mental Health Working Group back in January 2023. As of Jan. 30, 2023, 66 per cent of all frontline officers had been given training on decriminalization, according to the FOI. The pilot project, which made it legal for people 18 years and older to carry a combined total of 2.5 grams of opioids, crack, powder cocaine, meth, ecstasy or MDMA, kicked off the next day. The pilot will run until Jan. 31, 2026.... <\/p>\n