Premier David Eby says the province got it wrong, but he still won't kill the plan

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David Eby admits drug decriminalization in his province was “wrong” but the B.C. premier just can’t bring himself to outright kill the deadly social experiment.

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For years, British Columbia has been plagued by rising drug deaths and Eby’s answer was to get the federal government in 2023 to agree to a three-year trial in which people using small amounts of drugs would not be prosecuted.

It was a flawed experiment from the start, not helping drug users and being positively dangerous to the public.

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Public parks quickly became drug dens littered with needles and other drug paraphernalia.

Nine months into the experiment, B.C.’s NDP government was forced to ask the federal government to amend the original agreement so it could ban possession of illegal drugs at playgrounds, spray pools, wading pools and skate parks.

“Everyone, especially children, should feel safe in their communities,” said Minister Ya’ara Saks, federal minister of mental health and addictions in a statement at the time.

But things only got worse, with the health system particularly overwhelmed. A leaked memo revealed that nurses in one district in B.C. were told not to confiscate patients’ drugs or weapons. Drug dealers were openly operating in hospitals. “It’s insanity,” was one nurse’s