A pilot scheme in British Columbia that decriminalised small amounts of hard drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and crack cocaine, has failed to reduce overdose deaths, according to a new study, and has since been scrapped. Launched in January 2023, the programme allowed people carrying under 2.5 grams of drugs to be directed towards support services rather than arrested, with officials hoping it would cut stigma and encourage users to seek help. The findings undercut the central justification for the policy and led BC to abandon it in January 2026 after politicians concluded it had not delivered the promised benefits.

Research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, examining Statistics Canada data from August 2020 to March 2025, found decriminalisation reduced police-reported drug possession incidents but had no measurable effect on overdose deaths or hospitalisations compared with other provinces. Overdose deaths in BC fell by 19 per cent during the study period, but Ontario, which did not decriminalise drugs, saw a larger 25 per cent decline over the same timeframe. The policy was also partially rolled back in May 2024 following public complaints about drug use in parks and playgrounds, and former BC health minister Josie Osborne acknowledged the pilot "hasn't delivered the results we hoped for."