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Quebec government quietly loosened its approach to drug possession over a year ago
MONTREAL — The Quebec government has quietly relaxed its approach to people caught with small quantities of drugs.
In April 2023, the province recommended that simple possession cases should only be prosecuted when there is a public safety risk, including in the context of organized crime, violence or when minors are present.
The Coalition Avenir Québec government made no public announcement of the change, which was reported for the first time this week by Le Devoir.
Municipal police say they were not informed of the new direction for prosecutors, but say police methods for dealing with simple possession have not changed.