The Vancouver Police Department has been a leader in progressive drug policy for decades. For years, we have said that substance-use disorders require a health-led approach, not a criminal one. In 2003, we supported the creation of North America’s first supervised injection site. In 2006, we became the first Canadian police agency to stop routinely attending overdose calls, because we recognized that automatic police attendance could be a barrier to people calling 9-1-1 in medical emergencies.
Faced with a years-long toxic drug crisis that killed thousands of vulnerable Vancouverites, we were willing to support the decriminalization pilot project recommended and led by health professionals, but it quickly became evident that it just wasn’t working. Decriminalization of simple possession, combined with safe supply and harm reduction measures, was not matched with sufficient investments in prevention, drug education, access to treatment, or support for appropriate enforcement. Because of that, decriminalization created unintended harm to our community that outweighed any benefits.
The toxic drug crisis remains a public health emergency that cannot be resolved by policing alone. The VPD continues to support a health-led response to substance use while maintaining an enforcement approach that balances public safety with compassion and support for individuals experiencing substance-use disorder. We firmly believe that ending the decriminalization pilot project is the right decision.
