An uproar in the Vancouver cannabis community and on social media occurred recently. It was the result of Vancouver Police Department officers seizing cannabis from a so-called opioid replacement site.
The rationale offered by the VPD for these actions was simple: cannabis remains illegal, and trafficking cannabis is also illegal. Despite the fact that the people operating the opioid replacement site were attempting to distribute cannabis safely to people at risk of death or serious injury from opioid use, the VPD felt it necessary to seize the cannabis offered as a replacement.
Certainly from a public safety perspective, this action seems unjust. There is currently an overdose epidemic and a crisis for opioid users who may accidentally ingest fentanyl, or who may overdose on fentanyl due to the small amount necessary to cause such a reaction. Some figures place the death toll provincially at over 100 people per month.
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Instantly, we see that there are some difficulties here. There is clearly imminent risk or immediate peril, with an average of four deaths a day. Indeed, in fentanyl sentencing cases the Crown often refers to the nature of the opioid crisis. It seems the government truly believes this is an emergency.
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