National opioid crisis plan to be informed by proposals in B.C.: federal minister

OTTAWA –

Canada’s new minister of mental health and addictions, Carolyn Bennett, says she is “very interested” in proposals from British Columbia on how to proceed with a plan for addressing the opioid crisis in the country.

She says her meetings with the B.C. Centre on Substance Use yesterday, and with her B.C. counterpart, Sheila Malcolmson, today, will be “really important.”

Bennett says in an interview with The Canadian Press they will be able to “drill down” on seeking an approach toward safe supply that also considers decriminalizing possession.

B.C. has sought to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs by seeking from Health Canada an exemption from the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

From there, Bennett says she will see what can be done in a “timely manner” to begin the work that is required on decriminalization and safe supply.

The Trudeau government has so far rejected wholesale decriminalization of simple drug possession while rolling out some pilot projects to provide safer pharmaceutical alternatives to toxic street drugs.