Outgoing BC RCMP superintendent says drug decriminalization 'most horrific failure of public policy' in past 30 years

Outgoing Prince George RCMP superintendent Shaun Wright has labelled the decriminalization of hard drugs in British Columbia "the most horrific failure of public policy" in the past 30 years.He argued that far from accomplishing the intended goal of reducing drug use, it simply normalized the practice, and acted as a catalyst for public disorder."Decriminalization, in my personal opinion, is probably the most horrific failure of public policy that I've seen in the last three decades," he said during an interview with the Prince George Citizen earlier this month. "It's been partially walked back — it’s now illegal to use hard drugs in public places — but obviously the long-term effects from that year where it was in full swing is going to take us years to try and walk back."When asked what was so bad about the policy, he argued that it "encouraged or resulted in a significant increase in public disorder and the normalization of hard drug use," which he described as "extremely detrimental to our young people.""It also did nothing to serve the people who are already addicted," he lamented, "and really focused the mindset on how to facilitate people that want to engage in that activity rather than assist them in getting out of that cycle of addiction."Wright, who served in the RCMP for 28 years in communities across the province, questioned why the BC NDP continued to stand by the policy despite achieving little to no reduction in drug overdose deaths in the province. "If you keep doing the same thing or increasing what you've already been doing and the problem just continues to get worse, maybe you need to adopt a different strategy, not just increase access to opioids," he said. "I find it comical that some governments are suing or have sued opioid manufacturers for the opioid crisis because they over-prescribed them and that's what caused this and then some governments are handing them out to anybody that wants them prescribed to them, which strikes me as the exact same thing."Wright warned that more and more drugs handed out by the government were being sold to curious young people instead of being used by the intended recipient, a phenomenon he described as "unfortunate."His comments came just days before the families of two teens impacted by so-called "safe supply" drugs filed a class action lawsuit against the federal government and BC NDP, arguing that they had fallen victim to "negligent misrepresentations.".This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.

Outgoing BC RCMP superintendent says drug decriminalization 'most horrific failure of public policy' in past 30 years

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