Ms Fiona Wilson:

Absolutely. What we found in British Columbia is that people who were ambivalent towards or supported decriminalisation became strong voices against it once it took effect because the matter of public consumption was never addressed. There is, of course, an argument to be made, and it is an argument we have heard, that the effects of seeing someone using drugs in front of your children, for example, are not as significant as someone dying inside and alone because he or she is not able to use in public spaces. That is more of a philosophical debate. We heard loud and clear from communities across our province that public drug use was very concerning. I suggest to any jurisdiction that is contemplating decriminalisation that it ensures there are strong parameters around public consumption. Like I always say, we lost the room. We lost the support of people who otherwise supported decriminalisation because people generally do not tolerate the notion of families, youth and children being exposed to public drug use.