ArticleHarm reduction journal2023
Police seizure of drugs without arrest among people who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada, before provincial 'decriminalization' of simple possession: a cohort study.
Article in Harm reduction journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trends in fentanyl-containing drug samples seized by law enforcement agencies across Canada.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- Policing and access to harm reduction services among young people who use drugs and young Indigenous people who use drugs before and after the pilot implementation of decriminalization of personal possession.The International journal on drug policy · 2025Article
- "Street sweeps": The municipal government-enforced confiscation of personal belongings among unstably housed people who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada.Public health · 2025Article
- Navigating the nexus between British Columbia's public consumption and decriminalization policies of illegal drugs.Health research policy and systems · 2024Article
- Depoliticization of Violence: Critical Limits of Risk Environment Frameworks in Drug Use Research.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
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.
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