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WE'VE UPDATED OUR PRIVACY AND COOKIES POLICY We've made some important changes to our Privacy and Cookies Policy and we want you to know what this means for you and your data. * OK * Find out what's changed * Close privacy banner LET US KNOW YOU AGREE TO DATA COLLECTION ON AMP We and our partners use technologies, such as cookies, and collect browsing data to give you the best online experience and to personalise the content and advertising shown to you. Please let us know if you agree. * Accept data collection and continue * Manage my settings * Close cookie banner MANAGE CONSENT SETTINGS ON AMP PAGES These settings apply to AMP pages only. You may be asked to set these preferences again when you visit non-AMP BBC pages. The lightweight mobile page you have visited has been built using Google AMP technology. STRICTLY NECESSARY DATA COLLECTION To make our web pages work, we store some limited information on your device without your consent. 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You can change these settings by clicking “Ad Choices / Do not sell my info” in the footer at any time. * Accept data collection and continue * Reject data collection and continue * Close cookie banner BBC News Skip to content Sections * Home * UK * World * Business * Politics * Tech * Science * Health * Family & Education * Entertainment & Arts * Stories * Home * UK * World * Business * Politics * Tech * Science * Health * Family & Education * Entertainment & Arts * Stories Advertisement BRITISH COLUMBIA TO BACK OFF DRUG DECRIMINALISATION PROJECT * By Nadine Yousif * BBC News, Toronto 9 hours ago Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Drugs would remain decriminalised at places like Insite, a supervised consumption site A Canadian province will recriminalise the use of hard drugs in public, partly rolling back a landmark policy meant to help tackle a deadly opioid crisis. British Columbia's decriminalisation project began in January 2023 as a three-year pilot programme. But it has faced pushback over concerns around public disorder and drug use. Police will soon have the power to again address drug use in all public places, including hospitals, restaurants, parks and beaches. Advertisement "While we are caring and compassionate for those struggling with addiction, we do not accept street disorder that makes communities feel unsafe," provincial Premier David Eby said in a statement announcing the change on Friday. It is unclear when the new rules will come into force. The province said it is working with the federal government to "urgently" change the policy. * Canada's drug experiment hits strong opposition * Could decriminalisation solve Scotland's drug problem? BC is the only province in Canada where the hard drug decriminalisation pilot programme is underway. The project allows adults to possess up to 2.5 grams of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine or methamphetamine without being arrested, charged or having their drugs seized, initially except around schools and airports. The pilot is to run until 2026. But under the new rules announced on Friday, police will now have the power to ask a drug user to leave an area, and seize their drugs, or arrest them "in exceptional circumstances". It would not affect people using drugs in a private home or at supervised consumption or drug-checking sites. Mr Eby's government had initially tried to pass a law that expanded the public places where drug use was prohibited to include not just schools and airports but playgrounds and near homes and businesses. That effort was blocked by the province's top court late last year over concerns it would cause "irreparable harm" to people who use drugs. Much of North America is grappling with a deadly opioid drug crisis. Fatal overdoses peaked above 112,000 in the US for the first time last year, while BC marked its own grim milestone of more than 2,500 deaths in 2023. The deaths are fuelled by a toxic street drug supply laced with fentanyl and other products, of which a small amount can be fatal. But decriminalisation has faced heavy scrutiny in BC after stories emerged of open illicit drug use in places like public parks and hospitals. Political opponents have called it a "harmful experiment" implemented without safeguards for the public - one that has "utterly failed" to reduce overdose deaths. In testimony before a federal parliamentary committee this month, Vancouver's Police Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson said that police have been limited in their ability to respond to "problematic drug use". "So, if you have someone who is with their family at the beach, and there's a person next to them smoking crack cocaine, it's not a police matter," she testified. In April, the US state of Oregon reversed a decriminalisation policy that had been in place since 2020. The policy was seen by many as the most liberal effort in the US to decriminalise hard drugs. Lawmakers backtracked after overdoses continued to spike in the state and amid pressure from the public over people openly using drugs on streets, sidewalks and in front of stores. 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