Just days before a new law was set to ban drug use in playgrounds and sports fields, a BC Supreme Court judge has put it on hold.
On Friday afternoon, Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson ordered the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act paused until March 31, saying the legislation as-is would likely result in more deaths, displacement and criminalization of people using drugs.
The injunction was spearheaded by the Harm Reduction Nurses Association of BC.
The legislation was intended to give law enforcement tools to prevent drug use in and near parks, sports fields, beaches, pools, transit stops, playgrounds, and other public places. It was set to come into force January 1, but there are still no regulations approved to implement it.
BC Health Minister Adrian Dix says the government is reviewing the court decision and its implications.
“In our view it takes away our ability to do what every other province does, which is to regulate where drugs can be used,” he said in a press conference yesterday.
BC’s public safety minister says in a statement the law was intended to help people struggling with addiction, while also protecting families, children and seniors.
– Files from Grant Warkentin, My Cowichan Valley Now