Police seizure of drugs without arrest among people who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada, before provincial ‘decriminalization’ of simple possession: a cohort study

Harm Reduction Journal

Research

Thomas Kerr¹  M.-J. Milloy¹  Kanna Hayashi²  Tyson Singh Kelsall²  Zishan Cui³  Kora DeBeck⁴  Caitlin Shane⁵ 

[1] British Columbia Centre On Substance Use, 400-1045 Howe Street, V6Z 2A9, Vancouver, BC, Canada;Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2775 Laurel Street, 10th Floor, V5Z 1M9, Vancouver, BC, Canada;British Columbia Centre On Substance Use, 400-1045 Howe Street, V6Z 2A9, Vancouver, BC, Canada;Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, V5A 1S6, Burnaby, BC, Canada;British Columbia Centre On Substance Use, 400-1045 Howe Street, V6Z 2A9, Vancouver, BC, Canada;School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2206 East Mall, V6T 1Z3, Vancouver, BC, Canada;British Columbia Centre On Substance Use, 400-1045 Howe Street, V6Z 2A9, Vancouver, BC, Canada;School of Public Policy, Simon Fraser University, 515 West Hastings Street, Office 3269, V6B 5K3, Vancouver, BC, Canada;Pivot Legal Society, 121 Heatley Avenue, V6A 3E9, Vancouver, BC, Canada;

关键词: Harm reduction;    Police;    Drug laws;    Overdose;    Substance abuse;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12954-023-00833-7

 received in 2023-04-03, accepted in 2023-07-17,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSeveral jurisdictions in Canada have recently considered decriminalizing possession of illicit drugs for personal use (henceforth, simple possession) as part of their responses to the ongoing drug toxicity/overdose crisis. In this context, we sought to examine an early implementation case of a de facto depenalization policy of simple possession offences in Vancouver, Canada, that was enacted in 2006. Specifically, we characterized experiences of people who use drugs (PWUD) whose drugs were discretionally seized by police without arrest.MethodsData were derived from three prospective cohorts of community-recruited PWUD in Vancouver over 16 months in 2019–2021. We conducted multivariable generalized estimating equations analyses to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with drug seizure. Sub-analyses used data collected in 2009–2012 and examined the trends over time.ResultsAmong 995 participants who were interviewed in 2019–2021, 63 (6.3%) had their drugs seized by police at least once in the past 6 months. In multivariable analyses, factors significantly associated with drug seizure included: homelessness (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–3.61), working in the unregulated drug market (AOR: 4.93; 95% CI 2.87–8.49), and naloxone administration (AOR: 2.15; 95% CI 1.23–3.76). In 2009–2012, 67.8% reported having obtained new drugs immediately after having their drugs seized by police. Odds of drug seizure were not significantly different between the two time periods (2019–2021 vs. 2009–2012) (AOR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.64–1.35).ConclusionsDespite the depenalization policy, the Vancouver Police Department has continued to seize illicit drugs from PWUD, even in cases where no arrest occurred. This policing practice may create health and safety risks for PWUD as it forces PWUD to increase the engagement with the unregulated illicit drug market. Our findings support calls for abolishing this often-undocumented discretionary policing practice that may exacerbate ongoing health inequities and interfere with peer-based overdose prevention efforts.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023