The former mayor of the City of Vancouver Kennedy Stewart discusses his new book Decrim: How We Decriminalized Drugs in British Columbia (Harbour Publishing, 2023), with Joseph Planta.

Decrim: How We Decriminalized Drugs in British Columbia by Kennedy Stewart (Harbour Publishing, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Decrim

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Kennedy Stewart joins me again. The former Vancouver mayor has just published a new book, Decrim: How We Decriminalized Drugs in British Columbia. In the midst of the opioid crisis, which the Province of British Columbia declared a public health emergency in 2016, a three-year trial period for decriminalising the possession of small amounts of hard drugs began in January 2023. In the book, we see what it’s like to bring on policy change like this, with insights as how to work with the federal and provincial governments. I’ll ask Kennedy about the various myths around when it comes to what’s happening on the streets of Vancouver, like the misinformation that it’s free drugs, or that it would reduce deaths; and as we read in the book, though not directly, decriminalisation would make the lives of those who possess small amounts a little easier, and not have to endure a criminal record. And it was largely the police that asked for this, as we read in the book and when I ask Mr. Stewart about his relationship with the Police Chief Adam Palmer. We’ll also discuss relations with former BC premier John Horgan and others. I’ll also ask Kennedy about the Vancouver he sees, nearly a year since losing re-election to Ken Sim, a guy he beat in 2018. Kennedy Stewart was first on the program in 2017 when the book he co-edited Turning Parliament Inside Out was published. He was then a Member of Parliament. He has since returned to teaching at Simon Fraser University. This new book is from Harbour Publishing. We recorded this interview this past Friday. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, the fortieth mayor of the City of Vancouver, Kennedy Stewart; Professor Stewart, good morning.

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