A new Simon Fraser University study has detailed police officers' attitudes towards British Columbia's pilot drug decriminalization policy.
Researchers interviewed 30 active-duty officers, who were responsible for implementing the policy on the streets of B.C.
The results indicate a disconnect between the policy's broader public health objectives and the everyday experiences of police officers, according to lead researcher Amanda Butler.
"Understanding the views of frontline police officers is really important if you want to determine how well the policy worked and what lessons can be taken forward," says Butler, an assistant professor in SFU's School of Criminology.
"While many of the officers had distinct reservations about the policy, it was really clear that they feel a deep concern about the harm and deaths they're witnessing in their communities.
"Many officers described a genuine commitment to reducing harm, particularly in the context of the drug toxicity crisis. At the same time, they expressed feeling limited in their ability to affect meaningful change."
The three-year drug decriminalization pilot launched in B.C. in January 2023 and came to an end earlier this year. It allowed people to be in possession of 2.5 grams of illicit drugs.
The policy's aims included making it easier for people struggling with addiction to get the help they need by reducing stigma and increasing access to services.
Last week also marked 10 years since B.C. announced a public health emergency in response to an increase in toxic drug deaths.
Future lessons
Researchers conducted interviews with active police officers in different parts of B.C., including RCMP members and the province's municipal police departments, between November 2023 and March 2024.
The findings, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, are grouped into four themes that emerged from the interviews:
- Criminal law reform
- Health resource cards
- Criminal justice system involvement
- Stigma reduction
"The officers overwhelmingly perceived a lack of coordinated investments and change in social and health services, and believed that without these the policy was unlikely to achieve its goals," says Butler.
"Engaging frontline providers and incorporating on-the-ground experience in policy design and implementation may strengthen future drug reform efforts.
"In addition, training for police officers should include education related to stigma, addiction and longer-term policy goals. This may help to foster buy-in and reduce the gap between policy intent and frontline realities."
Criminal law reform
Many officers emphasized the importance of robust health and social service systems in achieving the policy's primary goal of reducing overdose deaths.
However, several participants expressed frustration at perceived shortcomings in this area. Some officers felt the policy was not evidence-based but politically-motivated and rushed.
Officers also felt increasingly burdened with health-related emergencies without new resources.
Officer comments:
"This is supposed to be a multipronged multifaceted approach. They haven't implemented any of the other things that they're supposed to do in order to support this vision or direction of these goals. It's not enough on its own just to decriminalize drugs. Unless they have the support mechanisms in place that they promised for people."
"When you build a house, you start with the foundation…decriminalization, that's the framing, right? That's the finishing touches, the details. They didn't build the foundation of the house. They didn't have the support services in place."
"It feels like a sinking boat and using a spoon to try to get the water out of a sinking boat."
Health resource cards
As part of the policy, officers were tasked with distributing health resource cards to drug users whenever there was a police interaction or when someone requested a service, program or treatment.
The health resource cards provided provincial resources such as 24/7 crisis lines, drug checking services, and a join code for receiving toxic drug alerts.
Officers almost unanimously viewed these cards as ineffective or symbolic, and in some cases, problematic. A key criticism was the generic nature and lack of local tailoring, and that resources are often inadequate or inaccessible.
Officer comments:
"I've seen people do it and they laugh at you, tear [the resource cards] up, throw [it] on the ground right away. Like that card is going to somehow help them? It's a token gesture. That card is not going to do anything for anybody."
"I try to talk people into accepting help and resources. And I will never not do that... But this mandatory handing out of cards to people [that] tell me to 'eff' off every time I offer it has not been received very well."
Criminal justice system
Although drug decriminalization is intended to reduce criminal penalties and the burden on the justice system, few officers viewed this as an immediate or central goal of B.C.'s policy.
Many were skeptical of its potential to meaningfully reduce criminal legal system involvement, citing long-standing discretionary policing practices that had already deprioritized personal drug possession.
Nearly all officers in the study reported that personal possession laws had not been actively enforced for several years.
Officers also discussed that some people who use drugs continue to be involved in offences indirectly linked to drug use, such as property crime and theft.
Officer comments:
"I've spoken to many drug users over 15 years… I have never in my history of policing charged anybody for the simple possession of drugs."
"A lot of property crime and a lot of petty theft is to fuel their drug use…they have an underlying addiction that they're trying to maintain. And so, because they're a drug user and they commit theft and steal from other people, are we now going to not charge them because they're a drug user?"
Stigma
Officers expressed a range of views around the policy goal of reducing stigma. Some officers believed destigmatization was important, but doubted the policy's ability to achieve it.
Some officers believed that societal stigma had worsened since the policy was introduced.
While some officers felt that efforts to reduce stigma were important and worthwhile, others felt that drug use should be stigmatized as a deterrent.
Officer comments:
"I heard the goal of the policy was to try to destigmatize it [drugs] ... People would be more willing to get help and all this stuff. I haven't really seen that."
"It's [decriminalization] had the opposite effect… I would say that it has driven more of the general public to have more of a stigma towards drug use than anything."
"You don't want to normalize using drugs. They have enormous mental health, physical, and societal negative impacts. To say that we should just accept it as just a choice and we should just be okay with people using fentanyl, it shouldn't be. I don't have anything negative to say about somebody using fentanyl, other than to say, 'hey…You need to get help'…I don't support de-stigmatizing the use of hardcore drugs."
