You Can End a Pilot Program, But You Cannot End Stigma (It Only Grows in the Shadows)

The end of BC's three year decriminalization pilot is being positioned as a policy correction. But, beneath sits a deeper, perhaps more uncomfortable truth. Unfortunately, stigma is about to get worse, not better. The original intent of decriminalization was clear. To reduce fear, reduce shame, and make it easier for people to seek help without criminalization. It's acknowledged that stigma is one of the most powerful drivers of harm in tainted drug epidemic. With the program ending, we are stepping back into a landscape where possession once again becomes a matter for police, courts, and public judgment.

When a government goes back on a health‑focused approach to addiction, people often see it as a judgment. Not just a policy change. The message, intended or not, is that people who use drugs are once again a problem to be controlled, rather than humans to be supported. That shift doesn’t just change policing, it changes how community, employers, and families interpret substance use. It reinforces the idea that addiction is a personal failing rather than a predictable outcome of trauma, poverty, isolation, and an increasingly toxic drug supply. And, stigma, unlike policy, does not expire on January 31st.

What’s most concerning is that the end of decriminalization arrives at the exact moment when the toxic drug crisis continues to escalate. Health Leaders have been clear that involvement with the justice system increases harm, from losing housing and employment, to facing higher overdose risk after incarceration. If the goal is to save lives, then reintroducing criminal penalties risks pushing people further into the shadows, where shame thrives and support becomes harder to access. The cost will be paid by people who now have even fewer safe pathways to care.

As Leaders, Employers, and Community Members, we need to resist the easy narrative that the policy “failed” and therefore compassion should be withdrawn. Stigma is not a side effect of drug policy, it is drug policy. And, if we are serious about reducing deaths, then our work now is to double down on dignity, evidence‑based care, and the belief that every person deserves safety, even when their choices or circumstances make us uncomfortable.