Interior Health raises concerns about Sicamous’ proposed park drug use ban | 24CA News

B.C. is now 5 weeks into its three-year drug decriminalization trial.

The decriminalization trial goals to deal with stigma and deal with the overdose disaster by permitting adults to hold as much as 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.

The provincial change of method has prompted the District of Sicamous to think about a bylaw that might ban drug use in public parks.

However,  Interior Health is elevating considerations concerning the well being impacts of the proposed bylaw.

Sicamous’ mayor Colleen Anderson mentioned the municipality’s intent in banning drug use in public parks is to make sure the security of the neighborhood.

“We keep our children safe, we don’t take them to spaces where they witness that or they are part of that environment. We want to keep them away from that as much as possible. We don’t want to normalize that with our children,” Anderson mentioned.

However, the well being authority has considerations bylaws just like the one proposed in Sicamous might undermine the aim of decriminalization.

In a letter to the municipality, medical well being officer Dr. Jonathan Malo mentioned “implementing by-laws that prohibit public consumption of illicit medicine and fining people who select to take action…re-inforces stigma related to drug use, and subsequently truly counter the meant impacts of decriminalization.

“Such enforcement activities may encourage individuals to use drugs alone or out of view, thereby increasing the risk of death due to the toxic drug supply.”

But Sicamous’ mayor doesn’t imagine the bylaw would undermine decriminalization.

Anderson factors out that the provincial decriminalization guidelines nonetheless criminalize drug use at youngsters’ colleges however seashores in the summertime can have simply as many kids on web site.

The mayor suggests drug use at seaside parks is probably one thing the province has ignored.

However, Interior Health medical well being officer Dr. Carol Fenton is asking the general public to recollect individuals who use medicine should not inherently harmful.

“Everyone knows and loves people who use drugs and people who use drugs don’t want to inflict harm on others either. I don’t expect any of that will change with decriminalization,” mentioned Fenton.

“If people are concerned about visible drug use or drug paraphernalia it is really important to check in and say ‘Does my community have a safe place for drug users to go and do their drugs in an appropriate place that is away from the park? and what I am talking about is supervised consumption or overdose prevention sites.”

Sicamous and the encircling Shuswap area don’t have supervised consumption or overdose prevention websites.

Mayor Anderson famous that was one thing that has come up within the council’s dialogue with Interior Health.

“Right now I think we are definitely downloading the supervision of this to residents that have no idea what to do in an emergency,” Anderson mentioned.

Asked if there have been any plans to create a protected consumption over overdose prevention web site in Sicamous or the encircling area, Fenton mentioned she would “love to support the development of an overdose prevention site in Sicamous and will endeavour to follow up with city council on that.”

Instead of passing a bylaw, the well being authority is suggesting the district take a wait-and-see method, and maintain off on any coverage change for six months.

“My understanding is that public drug use and drug use in parks is not currently a problem in Sicamous and historically has not been a problem. From the evidence around decriminalization we don’t expect that it will become a problem,” mentioned Fenton.

“So waiting six months and seeing whether or not things do change and there is a need for a bylaw is better than passing something that has potential harms when there isn’t a clear need for it.”

However, Sicamous’ mayor argues there isn’t any assure public drug use gained’t change into a problem in her neighborhood.

“I just want to make sure that our community and our children are protected and six months, a summer of this, is a summer too many,” mentioned Anderson.

Sicamous council remains to be discussing how one can transfer ahead with the proposed bylaw which can embody narrowing the record of parks the place drug use is banned.

The district mentioned if the bylaw change is made council will doubtless additionally create a fantastic just like the fines for consuming or smoking in parks.

“However, as always, tickets are at the discretion of our bylaw enforcement officer. In his experience, a simple conversation with those who are violating a bylaw can go a long way,” the district’s deputy company officer mentioned in an electronic mail.

Sicamous mentioned unpaid fines can go to collections however the municipality wouldn’t search to have anybody incarcerated over nonpayment.

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