A Canadian experiment to decriminalize small amounts of hard drugs could reduce stigma and police run-ins for addicts but does little to tackle a bigger problem of overdose deaths from drugs adulterated with lethal ingredients.
The province of British Columbia, at the epicentre of a drug poisoning crisis that has already killed more than 32,000 Canadians since 2016, last week began a three-year pilot programme in which people carrying less than 2.5 grams of drugs such as meth and heroin will not be prosecuted.
