Decriminalization

Though Warren has said she is open to the decriminalization of sex work, Buttigieg and O’Rourke do not mention decriminalization in their LGBTQ rights plans.

After the de facto decriminalization of low-level drug offenses in Baltimore, MD in April 2020, there was a significant reduction in low-level, drug-related arrests overall, with the vast majority (82%) of the decline occurring in the Black community.

And Lorette pointed out that even where other bylaws do not apply, a big part of decriminalization should involve officers speaking with people openly using controlled substances to provide them with information about local supports.

Another recommendation, which recently came into effect as a three-year pilot project, is decriminalization of personal possession of drugs to reduce stigma around drug use.

But B.C.'s Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions says the decriminalization of people who use drugs is not the same as legalization.

Butler-McPhee says that while she hopes to see decriminalization extended to other jurisdictions, it's only one piece of the puzzle.

But opponents said the drugs' benefits are still largely unknown, and the bill could lead to more crimes - though studies in recent years have shown decriminalization does not increase crime rates.

But Oregon has always been about drugs: first decriminalization of pot in America 50 years ago this year, among the first to legalize it for so-called medicine and later recreation.

Decriminalization efforts have succeeded in and a bill is pending in California.

Decriminalization is opening doors for startups working with cannabis, psilocybin, ketamine and other substances, but how are investors approaching this space?

Elsewhere in the world, places implementing decriminalization are confronting challenges of their own.

In the meantime, the patchwork of partial legalization will be led by elected officials who take up the decriminalization work themselves, she said.

Note: on January 31, 2023 decriminalization of individuals who possess certain illegal drugs for personal possession came into effect in BC.

Prosecutors in California are strongly objecting to a proposed law — SB 58 authored by state Senator Scott Wiener — which seeks the wholesale decriminalization of many dangerous hallucinogenic drugs.

SEATTLE (AP) — Lawmakers in the state of Washington are going into special session hoping to avert a crisis over the decriminalization of drugs.

Sturko accused the provincial government of doing “very little” to support municipalities amid decriminalization.

The decriminalization would also mean people in recovery would have a better chance of employment as they will not have a criminal record.

There are some cannabis outlets in the Soi Buakhao neighborhood, though fewer than expected after decriminalization of the weed last summer.

The statement also called for the decriminalization of abortion in the country, which is currently prohibited except to save the life of the mother.

Whiteside also repeatedly brought up why the province had encouraged decriminalization in the first place.