When B.C. decriminalized small amounts of drugs in January 2023, it was seen as a promising weapon in the battle against the drug crisis. In May, B.C. walked that policy back, saying it caused disorder in the streets.

Parliament is heading towards a vote on an NDP Private Member’s Bill that would decriminalize drug possession for personal use, among other changes to address Canada’s overdose crisis. The Liberals have also proposed a bill that would amend the Controlled Drug and Substances Act. Garth Mullins of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users has been fighting for decriminalization for a long time as he’s watched friends die and get incarcerated. He talks about these two bills and his vision for healthy drug policy in Canada. 

Here's an episode of the podcast Crackdown, hosted by Garth Mullins.

Crackdown covers the war on drugs from the trenches, and these war correspondents are drug users. 

Crackdown covers the war on drugs from the trenches, and these war correspondents are drug users. 

“I tried to count up the amount of people that I knew who had died from overdose. I got to fifty, and I just had to stop. You get used to it. It’s like it becomes normal.”