B.C. drug decriminalization and safer supply associated with more overdoses, study shows

A study into safer supply and drug decriminalization policies in British Columbia has found that both were associated with increased opioid overdose hospitalizations.The report says that there was no change in deaths associated with safer supply, while neither policy appeared to mitigate the opioid crisis that has claimed more than 16,000 lives in B.C. since being declared a public health emergency in 2016.“The observed increase in opioid hospitalizations, without a corresponding increase in opioid deaths, may reflect greater willingness to seek medical assistance because decriminalization could reduce the stigma associated with drug use,” the study says.