Confiscations, entraves à la santé publique et déplacements perpétuels : expériences et perspectives sur les pratiques policières urbaines durant une période de « recriminalisation » parmi les personnes qui utilisent des drogues criminalisées

Singh Kelsall et al. constatent que des pratiques policières néfastes ont persisté durant le pilote de décriminalisation en Colombie-Britannique et la recriminalisation ultérieure, notamment des confiscations, des déplacements forcés et des entraves à la réponse aux surdoses. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

Abstract

Background

People and communities in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC) have been profoundly impacted by the toxic drug crisis, which has driven a province-wide public health emergency since 2016. In 2023, BC implemented a “Decriminalization Pilot,” which temporarily removed criminal sanctions for the possession of small amounts of certain substances. In May 2024, the Decriminalization Pilot was amended to exclude its application in almost any urban outdoor space; a reform colloquially referred to as “Recriminalization.” This study sought to address gaps in understanding how law enforcement practices towards people who use criminalized drugs may have changed during the Decriminalization Pilot and subsequent Recriminalization periods.

Methods

We undertook a community-based, qualitative study. We conducted 21 interviews with people who use criminalized drugs and who interacted with law enforcement in Vancouver between January and May 2025. We employed combined reflexive thematic and interpretative phenomenological analyses.

Results

We derived five main themes: 1) confusion over the Decriminalization Pilot; 2) selective enforcement and pervasiveness of policing; 3) police interference with overdose response and other public health interventions; 4) seizures of belongings, including government-supplied resources; and 5) displacement from public space.

Conclusion

Our findings illustrate how harmful law enforcement practices that target people who use criminalized drugs, particularly those relying on public spaces for survival, persisted during the evolving drug policy periods. Together, these law enforcement practices along with the lack of understanding regarding the shifting Decriminalization Pilot, may have undermined the potential success of a policy dedicated to decriminalizing drug possession in BC.