Decriminalization in B.C.: Ottawa approves request to halt public use [Video]

The federal government approved B.C.’s request Tuesday to recriminalize the use of drugs in public spaces such as hospitals and parks.

B.C.’s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said at an afternoon news conference the province’s request was in response to “community concerns.”

“What we’ve done is respond to what police have been asking for and to deal with public drug use and that’s what the public has said they’re concerned about,” he said. “They expect their parks, their playgrounds, their streets to be safe areas, that they shouldn’t have to put up with public drug use.”

B.C. is a year into a three-year pilot project to decriminalize the possession of a small amount of certain illicit drugs, including heroin and cocaine. Citing safety concerns from public consumption of those drugs, the province asked the federal government late last month to make illicit drug use illegal in all public spaces, including …