Public drug use, policing, and the limits of decriminalization in British Columbia: A mixed methods study

In January 2023, British Columbia implemented a province-wide decriminalization policy for simple drug possession that aimed to reduce criminal penalties for people who use drugs. However, the policy emerged alongside intense public and political scrutiny of visible drug use which led to new restrictions on public consumption. This study uses a mixed-methods approach that draws on quantitative data from the 2024 Harm Reduction Client Survey (N = 622) and in-depth interviews with people who use drugs (N = 38) to examine how people who use drugs have experienced decriminalization in relation to public space and policing. While decriminalization formally reduces criminal penalties for drug possession, our findings show that its practical protections remain limited, particularly for unhoused or structurally vulnerable individuals who rely on public space and therefore continue to encounter heightened surveillance and displacement. Participants described ongoing enforcement by members of the public which further reinforced their vulnerability and exclusion. Rather than reducing criminalization, the policy risks reproducing and redistributing punitive control through both formal policing and informal regulation. These findings underscore the need for reforms that address the broader social, spatial, and institutional forces that influence substance use and govern the lives of people who use drugs. Additionally, we argue that pragmatic investments in structural interventions - especially housing, social services, and poverty reduction - are necessary if drug policy reform is to reduce harm and promote equity for the most vulnerable people who use drugs.