Achi news desk-
The injunction against British Columbia’s public ban on drug use has been extended until the end of June.
The province introduced the drug ban following concerns from municipal officials about open drug use following the province’s decriminalization of small amounts of illegal drugs.
The ban was challenged in court by the Harm Reduction Nurses Association, arguing that it would push people to use drugs alone indoors and increase the risk of overdoses.
The BC Supreme Court sided with the association and issued an injunction that was initially set to last until March 31. That was then extended to June 30, 2024.
BC Solicitor General and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth expressed disappointment with the latest extension.
“It’s absolutely frustrating. It’s unbelievable that courts can say, ‘We can regulate tobacco, we can regulate cannabis, we can regulate alcohol, but we can’t regulate where hard drugs are used,’ that’s just nuts and, in my opinion, completely out of line connection. with the general public,” he said in an interview with Global News.
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He says the province is working to show the courts and the public how the rules will be implemented.
The use of illegal drugs remains prohibited within 15 meters of playgrounds, pools, schools and childcare facilities.
Global News reached out to the Harm Reduction Nurses Association for comment.
A spokesperson and solicitor for the association, Caitlin Shane, said in an email, “Counsel for the parties agreed by consent to a short extension of the injunction, to maintain the status quo until the parties can appear for an injunction interoperable. application, which is yet to be organised. That injunction, if granted, would further prevent the law from being brought into force pending a hearing on the merits.
“The extension does not indicate a change in the situation by either party, it was a necessary and reasonable way of moving forward considering scheduling issues in a way that did not use scarce judicial resources and court time unnecessarily. “
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