B.C. drug decriminalization and safer supply associated with more overdoses: study [Video]

A study into safer supply and drug decriminalization policies in British Columbia has found that both were associated with increased opioid overdose hospitalizations.

The report says that there was no change in deaths associated with safer supply, while neither policy appeared to mitigate the opioid crisis that has claimed more than 16,000 lives in B.C. since being declared a public health emergency in 2016.

The authors of the study, published in JAMA Health Forum, says it’s believed to be the first evidence on the association between overdoses and the decriminalization of drug possession in B.C., introduced in January 2023 then heavily curtailed in May 2024.

They say the increase in hospitalizations could be due to greater willingness to seek medical help, since decriminalization could reduce stigma, but it’s also possible that less stigma and fewer criminal penalties boost overdoses by facilitating diversion of safe-supply opioids.

The study was by researchers …