The Clean Air Bylaw came into effect 25 years ago on Jan. 1, 1999, and people have become respectful with their habits over the years, said Stew Young, the former mayor of Langford.
People are generally mindful of where they smoke, he said, but he is concerned that open drug use has replaced smoking as a public nuisance in Langford.
“It is dangerous and it kills people,” Young said. “We seem to be going the wrong direction with this stuff and more people are dying each year, which is wrong.”
The Clean Air Bylaw governs where, when and how people can smoke, covering smoking, vaping, and cannabis use.
Young said he does not know why people are not able to smoke at places like parks, but open drug use is acceptable.
“Smoking will kill you eventually,” Young said, “But these drugs can kill you straight away, especially with something like fentanyl.”
Young said because of this open drug use, petty crime around the Langford core has skyrocketed, with an increase in car thefts and people shoplifting from businesses around the city.
The Clean Air Bylaw did have a positive impact and has seen people smoke less, but Young said it is still not illegal to smoke tobacco, but sometimes it seems like smokers face more restrictions than those who smoke hard drugs in public.
Young said he appreciates that people with an addiction are facing a crisis, but the fact that the provincial government decriminalized most drugs did not help the issue at all.
Since Young left office, he said that the problem of open drug use has become something that people will talk to him about – daily.
“People are dying of this stuff every day,” he said. “We need to do more than just allowing people to use in public bathrooms or in front of businesses.”
