Police encounters with people who use drugs during decriminalisation in British Columbia, Canada: a mixed-methods analysis

Background On 31 January 2023, the Canadian Province of British Columbia (BC) decriminalised personal possession of certain illegal drugs up to 2.5 g. By removing criminal sanctions, this policy shift aimed to improve the nature of police interactions and reduce the surveillance of people who use drugs and marginalised sub-groups.Methods We employed a mixed-methods design, combining survey data from harm reduction service users in 2022 (n = 503) and 2023 (n = 433) alongside qualitative interviews (n = 39) with people who use drugs in BC, conducted during the first year of decriminalisation. Data sets were analysed convergently.Results Findings across both data sets suggest that although some people experienced improved interactions with police and a broader sense of relief in their daily lives, possession-based interactions between police and people who use drugs persisted, including in the vicinity of harm reduction facilities. Participants reported drug seizures of both decriminalised and prescribed substances, but suggested these occurred ‘off-the-record’. Indicators of social marginalisation (e.g. unstable housing and unemployment) were significantly related to the frequency and negative nature of police encounters.Conclusion Findings suggest a gap between the promise of decriminalisation in BC and the lived experiences of policing among people who use drugs, in particular those who are socially marginalised. Persistent possession-based enforcement and off-the-record seizures undermine both procedural justice and the perceived legitimacy of the law. Within the context of a public health-oriented form of decriminalisation, policymakers should consider whether police should remain as central actors within the governance of drugs and people who use them.