In 2023 Vancouver decriminalised the possession of small amounts of some illegal drugs for personal use.  It was to be a three-year trial, a template for other cities looking to turn addiction from a criminal issue to a health issue. But 2023 was a record year for drug deaths with 2511 people dying from overdoses, many associated with the synthetic drug fentanyl. Now politicians are walking back some of the changes. So has the drug trial failed?

Guest: Dr. Kora DeBeck - Research Scientist with the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use and Professor in the School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University. 

Producer: Catherine Zengerer