Thank you for that question.
You're absolutely right that we need to focus on what this is. It's one of a suite that we have heard is necessary. The decriminalization of people—that's the important thing—is about removing criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of controlled substances. It is not legalization, and it is not a free pass to violent or threatening behaviour. It is not the full solution. It's one important tool to help, for a couple of reasons.
One reason is that we see the people who are visible to police, and that is what a lot of the focus is on. It's uncomfortable for us to see homeless people on the street who don't have a safe place to go to use their drugs or to connect with people. It also is important for those who are not visible, who are also dying, and we've heard that this morning. It could be young people, who may be experimenting or are occasional users. It could be the young man who's working in the trades, whose family I hear from all the time and who didn't know that he was using drugs again or had relapsed, because of the shame, stigma and fear of a criminal record. This keeps people from talking about their drug use and reaching out for help.
In that sense, yes, the decriminalization of people here in British Columbia has levelled the playing field across the province so that it's not discretionary about who gets their drugs seized or who gets a criminal record. We've seen that in the statistics on drug seizures and on charges for people who use drugs.