Category: Press Release

Edmonton, AB—Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, Friends of Medicare, Moms Stop the Harm, and HIV Legal Network are deeply concerned about the health and safety impacts to vulnerable individuals accessing life-saving injectable opioid agonist treatment (iOAT) in Alberta.

Yesterday, a court ruling upheld a decision by the Government of Alberta to end iOAT at clinics in Calgary and Edmonton by dismissing an injunction application to keep these vital, life-saving services running at those clinics. In our view, the ruling does not take into account the lived experience and perspectives of people who use drugs who attested to the benefits of the program and how ending it would threaten their health and safety. Earlier, the court heard that individuals suffering from severe opioid use disorder could face “irreparable harms including risk of death” if the government-funded treatment program is halted in March as planned. This included evidence that the Government’s decision to close the clinics has already contributed to severe harm to patients.

The current iOAT program, prior to the Province creating uncertainty with its decisions, had a reported retention rate of over 80%, which is much above typical rates for substance use treatment. The Province of Alberta has in the past stated that addiction treatment should include services that support people beyond their substance use, something this program has done. It offers wrap around care, including on-site social workers who connect people with housing, income and employment support, psychologists and psychiatrists who help people deal with their underlying issues, including trauma, and most importantly peers with lived experience who understand and relate to the challenges the iOAT patients are going through. All this has contributed to the success of the iOAT program and has saved lives. This wrap around support will not be available in the unspecified model proposed by the Province.

The recent ruling could result in individuals relying, once again, on a toxic supply of drugs from an unregulated, dangerous market outside a medical/community context and thus being exposed to the potential for further irreparable harm. It relied on an incomplete understanding of opioid use disorder and a lack of literacy around substance use, addiction, and the lives of people who use drugs. Once again, the voices and perspectives of people who use drugs—who are experts in their own experience—were not given sufficient weight in a decision directly impacting their health and wellbeing.

Justice Dunlop, in his ruling, is quoted stating, “a causal connection between the Province’s planned changes and iOAT patients returning to street opioid use has not been proved.” But harms have already surfaced due to the Alberta government’s transition planning over the last year. The evidence before the court demonstrated that the Government’s decision has already contributed to one death and other serious harm for patients. Patients anticipate experiencing further serious, and irreversible harm once the clinics are shuttered.

This ruling is especially concerning given the climate we now see ourselves in: two concurrent public health crises and a rise in overdose deaths across Canada due to COVID-19. It is precisely in times such as these that health services like iOAT should be expanded rather than scaled back. The decision to end these services in March is unconscionable and will risk the wellbeing of the plaintiffs in this trial. As individuals affected by the drug poisoning crisis, concerned citizens, health service providers, and professionals in the field, we are deeply troubled by the adverse health impacts that could follow from this decision. Lives are at stake.

Contacts

Natasha Touesnard, Executive Director
Canadian Association of People Who Use Drug
natashatouesnard@gmail.com | 902-223-9151

Kym Porter, Alberta advocacy leader
Moms Stop the Harm
kk_porter@hotmail.com | 403-580-7051

Petra Schulz, Co-FounderMoms Stop The Harm
petraschulz100@gmail.com | 780-708-2244

Alyssa Pretty, Communications and Administrative Officer
Friends of Medicare
fomcampaign@gmail.com | 780-423-4581

Corey Ranger RN BN
Albertans for Ethical Drug Policy
cranger.rn@gmail.com | 250-880-0415

Peter Kim, Director of Communications and Digital Engagement
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
peter_k@sfu.ca | 604-787-4043

Janet Butler-McPhee, Director of Communications and Advocacy
HIV Legal Network
jbutler@hivlegal.ca | 647-295-0861

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About Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs

The Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs (CAPUD) is the national drug user organization in Canada. Our board and staff are comprised entirely of people who use(d) drugs. One of our main purposes is to empower people who currently use drugs deemed illegal to survive and thrive, with their human  rights respected and their voices heard. We envision a world where drugs are regulated and the people who use them are decriminalized. We are survivors of this war and we’ll continue to fight for policy reform that is based in evidence, understanding and compassion.

About Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC) is a coalition of over 60 organizations and 7,000 individuals working to support the development of progressive drug policy grounded in science, guided by public health principles, and respectful of human rights. CDPC operates as a project within Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. CDPC seeks to include people who use drugs and those harmed by the war on drugs in moving toward a healthier Canadian society free of stigma and social exclusion.

About Moms Stop the Harm

Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH) is a network of Canadian families impacted by substance use related harms and deaths. We advocate to change failed drug policies and provide peer support to grieving families and those with loved ones who use or have used substances.

About HIV Legal Network

The HIV Legal Network, formerly the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, promotes the human rights of people living with, at risk of or affected by HIV or AIDS, in Canada and internationally, through research and analysis, litigation and other advocacy, public education and community mobilization.

About Friends of Medicare

Friends of Medicare is a provincial coalition of individuals, service organizations, social justice groups, unions, associations, churches and other organizations whose goal is to raise public awareness on concerns related to Medicare in Alberta and Canada.

Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories – Today, the Mayor of Vancouver, supported by Vancouver Coastal Health, announced a motion that could lead to the decriminalization of simple drug possession in Vancouver. If the motion is passed, Vancouver City Council will request an exemption from the federal government — under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act — that would protect all people in Vancouver from the enforcement of simple drug possession as a criminal offence. If implemented properly, this could eliminate all criminal consequences for possessing drugs for personal use. Decriminalization would be a critical move towards addressing record overdose deaths and rampant stigma against people who use drugs, reducing barriers to accessing services, and avoiding ineffective and unnecessary use of public funds.

In May, Pivot Legal Society, the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC), and the HIV Legal Network called on the federal government to use this same exemption power to decriminalize simple drug possession. To date, more than 170 civil society organizations have endorsed this call. Following their October release of a report on drug decriminalization in Vancouver, Pivot launched an email petition urging Vancouver’s Mayor and Council to apply for a local exemption and take more meaningful action than simply calling on other levels of government to do the right thing. Last week, the HIV Legal Network released a primer for municipal and provincial governments on why and how to request an exemption from the federal Health Minister to effectively decriminalize simple drug possession.

READ MORE: The City of Vancouver announcement on decriminalization

Pivot, CDPC, and the HIV Legal Network welcome Vancouver’s leadership in seeking to curb an ineffective and deadly war on people who use drugs. We urge City Councillors to quickly and unequivocally adopt the proposed motion as presented, without proposing administrative sanctions or other amendments that would weaken its positive outcomes. In addition, we urge cities and provinces across the country to take similar action. Inaction will only lead to more preventable deaths and infections. Caitlin Shane, Drug Policy Staff Lawyer at Pivot Legal Society, says all municipalities and provinces must urgently tackle the drug policy crisis ravaging communities across the country:

“Overdose fatalities have ballooned during COVID-19, far surpassing the number of fatalities caused by the coronavirus itself. Criminalizing people who use drugs is a public health disaster that causes untold harms to poor and racialized communities. Decriminalization is a key step towards reducing over-policing and rampant incarceration, and re-allocating funds to health, harm reduction, and safe supply efforts.”

READ MORE: Pivot Legal Society’s Report: Act Now! Decriminalizing Drugs in Vancouver

Scott Bernstein, Director of Policy at CDPC, calls the announcement bold and necessary:

“A growing chorus of civil society and rights organizations, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, public health officers, and people who use drugs across the country have decried the failure of drug prohibition and significant harms caused by treating a public health crisis as a criminal law issue. We are pleased that Vancouver is heeding these calls.”

Sandra Ka Hon Chu, Director of Research and Advocacy at the HIV Legal Network, urges other cities, provinces, and territories to follow Vancouver’s lead and apply for a similar exemption:

“Policymakers have a responsibility to adopt measures that uphold the health and safety of people who use drugs in their respective jurisdictions. Requesting an exemption from the federal Minister of Health is simple and vital. Municipal and provincial actors can take concrete actions now to move from harmful, failed criminalization to evidence-based public health approaches that respect human rights.”

READ MORE: HIV Legal Network’s Report: Decriminalizing People Who Use Drugs: A Primer for Municipal and Provincial Governments

Download PDF Version

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Media Contacts

Sozan Savehilaghi, Pivot Legal Society
Email: sozan@pivotlegal.org
Direct: 604-255-9700 ext. 154

Peter Kim, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
Email: peter_k@sfu.ca
Direct: 604-787-4043

Janet Butler-McPhee, HIV Legal Network
Email: jbutler@aidslaw.ca
Direct: 647-295-0861

About Pivot Legal Society

Pivot Legal Society is a leading Canadian human rights organization that uses the law to address the root causes of poverty and social exclusion in Canada. Pivot’s work includes challenging laws and policies that force people to the margins of society and keep them there. Since 2002 Pivot has won major victories for sex workers’ rights, police accountability, affordable housing, and health and drug policy. http://www.pivotlegal.org/our_story

About Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC) is a coalition of over 60 organizations and 7,000 individuals working to support the development of progressive drug policy grounded in science, guided by public health principles, and respectful of human rights. CDPC operates as a project within Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. CDPC seeks to include people who use drugs and those harmed by the war on drugs in moving toward a healthier Canadian society free of stigma and social exclusion. https://drugpolicy.ca/

About HIV Legal Network

The HIV Legal Network, formerly the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, promotes the human rights of people living with, at risk of or affected by HIV or AIDS, in Canada and internationally, through research and analysis, litigation and other advocacy, public education and community mobilization. http://www.hivlegalnetwork.ca/

canadian drug policy coalition launches dialogues canadian drug policy coalition launches dialogues

Vancouver, BC—Never before in Canadian history have communities confronted two concurrent public health catastrophes like the overdose crisis, fueled by a toxic drug supply, and a coronavirus pandemic that has uprooted the routines of daily life and society. At the heart of these converging crises are people who use drugs. COVID-19 has made everything worse for this community at a time when overdose deaths are rising across the country and individual health and safety is more precarious than ever.

In response to this unprecedented time, the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition at Simon Fraser University, in partnership with the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, is launching Getting to Tomorrow: Ending the Overdose Crisis—18 public health dialogues across Canada over the next two years aimed at identifying and moving towards solutions to the overdose crisis, in the context of COVID-19, by building consensus and shared meaning.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the illegal drug toxicity death crisis as a catastrophic failure of Canada’s current approach to drugs. Governments have moved mountains in response to the COVID-19 pandemic while a coherent pan-Canadian approach to over 16,000 overdose deaths in the past five years has failed to materialize,” said Donald MacPherson, executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.

“We hope the Getting to Tomorrow dialogue series will inform, engage, and inspire Canadians to become more involved in building a new approach to drugs based on principles of public health and human rights, and lead to improved health and safety for all in our communities.”

~Donald MacPherson, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

Getting to Tomorrow is also hoping to use learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic to improve Canada’s overdose response at a time when lives are being lost at an unprecedented rate. More specifically, Getting to Tomorrow has three main goals:

• Accelerate the adoption of public health- and human rights-based drug policies to guide government responses to drugs in Canada
• Empower decision makers and the public to take evidence-based actions by providing the latest research on policies that could end the overdose crisis
• Engage the public in dialogue on issues related to substance use and drug policy

The dialogues will happen virtually (open to invited attendees only) and will invite leaders from diverse communities, including people who use drugs, community and business leaders, government officials, First Nations, public health officials, and law enforcement, to share their stories of navigating the challenges of the overdose crisis during a time of pandemic and global instability. By sharing perspectives and stories, communities can come to recognize the commonalities that unite us rather than the differences that set us apart. This can lay the groundwork for transformative change.

Getting to Tomorrow will begin in Montreal on October 7 with community partner l’Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec (AIDQ).

“As Montreal is one of the epicentres of COVID-19 in Canada, the lives of people who use substances are more than ever at risk as the number of overdoses is dramatically rising,” said Sandhia Vadlamudy, executive director of l’Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec.

“Having such a dialogue in Montreal, as well as any other city, will help us understand each other’s perspectives and work together towards better longer-term solutions where everybody wins.”

~Sandhia Vadlamudy, Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec

Getting to Tomorrow is supported by Health Canada through the Substance Use and Addictions Program.

www.gettingtotomorrow.ca

Contact

Peter Kim
Strategic Communications Manager
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
peter_k@sfu.ca
604-787-4043

Download PDF Version of Release

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About Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC) is a coalition of 60 organizations and 7,000 individuals working to support the development of progressive drug policy grounded in science, guided by public health principles, and respectful of human rights. The CDPC operates as a project within Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. The CDPC seeks to include people who use drugs and those harmed by the war on drugs in moving toward a healthier Canadian society free of stigma and social exclusion.

About Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue

Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue creates real-world impact for society’s most pressing challenges by using dialogue and engagement to co-create solutions, exchange knowledge, support community-engaged learning, and to build the capacity of others in the knowledge and practice of dialogue. They strive to bring together diverse voices, stories, perspectives and experiences, with a goal to increase understanding about others and ourselves. It is a conversational process intended to help us gain insight into complex problems to which no one person holds the answer.

About Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec (AIDQ)

AIDQ is a non-profit organization that includes stakeholders from all sectors interested in the field of addictions in Quebec, such as the public, private and community sectors, public health and social services, education, universities, research, public safety and the workplace. AIDQ’s mission is to promote and support intervention in the areas of prevention, harm reduction, treatment and the social reintegration of people with addictions and those at risk of becoming addicted, through skills development, information, collaboration, and the sharing of expertise.

VANCOUVER, BC—This weekend at the NDP’s annual convention in Victoria members unanimously passed an important resolution calling for the decriminalization of the personal possession of drugs and increased funding and support for the distribution of safe, legal forms of opioids. This is an unprecedented and important statement made by members of the provincial NDP underscoring the dire need to act to save lives across the province.

“This is good news and shows that the membership of the NDP are very clear about what action needs to take place,” said Donald MacPherson, executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. “Our question now is: when will we see action on these issues?”

“Four people a day continue to die in British Columbia as a result of the toxic drug supply, and we need action now.”

~Donald MacPherson, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

The resolution increases the pressure on the provincial government to act immediately and implement necessary reforms to save lives, similar to how the previous BC Liberals declared a Public Health Emergency back in 2016, which allowed for the opening of overdose prevention sites across the province.

The motion was brought forward by at least 10 riding associations and unions calling for life-saving changes to drug laws that currently criminalize substance use and people who use drugs—policies that are contributing to the catastrophic loss of life across British Columbia and Canada more generally.

This past June, the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, along with allied organizations, urged the government to amend the Police Act to decriminalize personal possession of drugs. Similar calls have been made by the province’s top medical officials, including Dr. Bonnie Henry who in a lengthy report underscored the urgent need for decriminalization. “The current regulatory regime of prohibition-based drug policy and criminalization does little to address the harms related to substance use, but rather supports an increase in social and health harms, an increase in the potency of illegal drugs, as well as an increase in unsafe drug use, stigma, shame, and discrimination,” she wrote.

We are encouraged by the stated commitment to shift to a public health- and evidence-backed approach to drug policies by turning away from a punitive criminal justice approach. We hope that the provincial government will listen to the wishes of its membership with regard to this issue, which have been unequivocally expressed this weekend.

Since 2016, 4375 people across British Columbia have died from opioid-related causes.

Peter Kim
Strategic Communications Manager
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
peter_k@sfu.ca
604-787-4043

Download PDF Version of Advisory

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About the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC) is a coalition of 60 organizations and 7,000 individuals working to support the development of progressive drug policy grounded in science, guided by public health principles, and respectful of human rights. The CDPC operates as a project within Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. The CDPC seeks to include people who use drugs and those harmed by the war on drugs in moving toward a healthier Canadian society free of stigma and social exclusion.

The award is the university’s first-ever honourary doctorate in Canada and recognizes the overdose and drug poisoning crisis as a critical human rights and social justice issue of our time

VANCOUVER, BC—Donald MacPherson, executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition and author of the seminal Four Pillars Drug Strategy, today received Adler University’s first-ever honourary doctorate in Canada. The university chose MacPherson for his pioneering work in drug policy reform, advocacy, and advancing the human rights and social inclusion of people who use substances.

“Donald MacPherson exemplifies the social justice work that we pursue at Adler University,” said Joy MacPhail, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Adler University. “His cutting-edge efforts aim to improve public health and safety by reforming drug policies and by promoting the human rights of people who use substances. His work reminds us how much more needs to be done to address the overdose crisis and we hope our graduates are inspired by MacPherson’s advocacy to advance social justice throughout their careers.”

The award is also a recognition of the tragic loss of life caused by the illicit, unregulated drug market—a product of our flawed drug policies—as a defining human rights and social justice issue of our time. “I am honoured to receive this award from Adler University and the acknowledgement that the work to change archaic and harmful public policies is one of the challenges of our times,” said MacPherson. “We are living through a time of catastrophic failure of the way we approach people who use criminalized drugs. Our systems are terribly broken and must be replaced.”

In Canada, 12,813 people have died from opioid-related deaths between 2016 and March 2019. Life expectancy has failed to increase for the first time in over four decades; and in British Columbia, overdose death is now the largest major cause of unnatural death, outpacing accidental deaths from homicides, suicides, and car accidents combined. The provinces of Alberta and Ontario have also been especially hard hit, with Ontario last year recording a record number of fatalities from overdose.

“We are living through a time of catastrophic failure of the way we approach people who use criminalized drugs. Our systems are terribly broken and must be replaced.”

~Donald MacPherson, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

MacPherson has been a guest lecturer for Adler University’s public policy and administration program. All Adler University graduate-level degree programs are strongly rooted in the principles of social justice and offer students hands-on learning experiences at more than 200 community partner organizations. Many students work at organizations that address the overdose crisis, providing mental health and other services.

MacPherson is also an adjunct professor in Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, of which the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition is a part, and co-author of Raise Shit! Social Action Saving Lives (2009) and More Harm than Good: Drug Policy in Canada (2016). He is involved in drug policy work at a local, national, and international level and was North America’s first Drug Policy Coordinator at the City of Vancouver where he worked for 22 years. Full bio here.

Contact

Peter Kim
Strategic Communications Manager
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
peter_k@sfu.ca
604-787-4043

Download PDF Version of Advisory

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About the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC) is a coalition of 60 organizations and 7,000 individuals working to support the development of progressive drug policy grounded in science, guided by public health principles, and respectful of human rights. The CDPC operates as a project within Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. The CDPC seeks to include people who use drugs and those harmed by the war on drugs in moving toward a healthier Canadian society free of stigma and social exclusion. www.drugpolicy.ca

About Adler University

Adler University is committed to improving individual and community health and well-being through positive social change. At the centre of downtown Vancouver, Adler University is an independent nonprofit institution of higher learning that offers graduate degree programs in psychology, counselling, and public policy. Established in 1952, Adler University has campuses in Vancouver, Chicago, and online. Adler University’s mission is to continue the pioneering work of Alfred Adler, the first community psychologist, by graduating socially responsible practitioners, engaging communities, and advancing social justice. www.adler.edu

Vancouver, BC—The BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) has awarded drug policy advocate, Donald MacPherson, with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to public health, human rights, and drug policy reform. This honour recognizes a passionate and visionary health advocate who has made substantial contributions to the advancement of evidence-based approaches to substance use and addiction.

“Donald has consistently put personal comfort aside to move drug policy forward, helping advance harm reduction and human rights for people who use drugs,” says Dr. Lindsey Richardson, who presented Donald with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BC Substance Use Conference, organized by the BCCSU.

“Just as important as these accomplishments is how he approaches the people he works with as fulsome, complex humans, with hopes and dreams, and challenges and needs.”

~Dr. Lindsey Richardson, BCCSU

The inaugural award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions in health and health policy, and who have demonstrated an enduring personal commitment to the advancement of health equity. “It is a real honour to receive this award from the BCCSU. It’s quite humbling as there are so many others in British Columbia who have done so much to move us towards a point where we have no choice but to acknowledge our current policies based on criminalization, punishment, and prohibition have been a catastrophic failure,” said Donald MacPherson, Executive Director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.

“It is time for a true public health and human rights response to drugs in this country.”

~Donald MacPherson, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

The Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to national or international leaders who actively participate in health advocacy and activities at a local, provincial, national, and international level.

Contact

Peter Kim
Strategic Communications Manager
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
peter_k@sfu.ca
604-787-4043

Download PDF Version of Advisory

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About Donald MacPherson

Donald MacPherson is the Executive Director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition and one of Canada’s leading figures in drug policy. He advocates drug policies based on principles of public health, scientific evidence, human rights, and social inclusion. He is involved in drug policy work at local, national, and international levels, and is a founding member of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. Formerly, MacPherson was North America’s first Drug Policy Coordinator at the City of Vancouver where he worked for 22 years. He is the author of Vancouver’s ground-breaking Four Pillars Drug Strategy, which called for new approaches to drug problems based on public health principles and the appropriate regulation of all psychoactive substances. MacPherson is also co-author of Raise Shit! Social Action Saving Lives (2009) and More Harm than Good: Drug Policy in Canada (2016). In 2007, he received the Kaiser Foundation National Award of Excellence in Public Policy in Canada. In 2009, he was awarded the Richard Dennis Drug Peace Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Drug Policy Reform by the Drug Policy Alliance in the United States, and the City of Vancouver was awarded the Canadian Urban Institutes Secure City Award for the Four Pillars Drug Strategy. MacPherson also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for his work in drug policy reform. In 2017, MacPherson was presented with the Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy at Simon Fraser University.

About the BC Substance Use Conference

The BC Substance Use Conference 2019 is the first annual conference hosted by the BC Centre on Substance Use, bringing together key stakeholders from around the province to discuss provincial efforts to treat and care for people with substance use disorders. This three-day event included research, education, and clinical care guidance presentations and workshops across several topics within substance use, including opioid, alcohol, and cannabis use disorders.

About the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC) is a coalition of 60 organizations and 7,000 individuals working to support the development of progressive drug policy grounded in science, guided by public health principles, and respectful of human rights. The CDPC operates as a project within Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. The CDPC seeks to include people who use drugs and those harmed by the war on drugs in moving toward a healthier Canadian society free of stigma and social exclusion.

Going beyond decriminalization and envisioning a post-prohibition Canada where substances are legal and regulated

What: Community forum featuring an international panel of experts on drug policy and experts with lived experience to debate how Canada can create a system of legal regulation of drugs grounded in social inclusion, human rights, and compassion. What would these systems look like? How would they be implemented? What broader impacts would they have?

• The event will be recorded as an episode of the Crackdown Podcast.

When: Wednesday, May 15, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Where: SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema (149 West Hastings St, Vancouver)

Who: Panel will be moderated by award-winning broadcaster, activist, and member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Garth Mullins, and will include the following:

• Zara Snapp, Co-founder, Instituto RIA (human rights/research organization proposing innovative solutions on drug policies) – Mexico
• Steve Rolles, Senior Policy Analyst, Transform Drug Policy Foundation (played a role advising Canadian government on its cannabis regulation model) – United Kingdom
• Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, Professor, Sociology, University of Toronto – Canada
• Suzanne Fraser, Professor, Public Health, Curtin University – Australia

From left to right: Garth Mullins, Zara Snapp, Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, Steve Rolles, Suzanne Fraser

Why: Current drug policies in Canada are a catastrophic failure. These policies have created a toxic drug supply that has killed more than 10,000 Canadians since 2016. Urgent action is needed to stem the tide of fatalities. Decriminalization, which health officials, doctors, and politicians, have openly supported, is a welcome step forward. And it’s imperative that we get at the heart of the crisis: the toxic drug supply.

Legal regulation of drugs must be explored if we are to end the loss of life. This public forum will bring us one step closer to realizing this vision, relying on the insight of people with lived experience and international experts in the field of drug policy.

Contact

Peter Kim
Strategic Communications Manager
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
peter_k@sfu.ca

Emily Jenkins
Assistant Professor
UBC School of Nursing
emily.jenkins@ubc.ca

Download PDF Version of Advisory

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About the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC) is a coalition of 70 organizations and 3,000 individuals working to support the development of progressive drug policy grounded in science, guided by public health principles, and respectful of human rights. The CDPC operates as a project within Simon Fraser University under the Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction. The CDPC seeks to include people who use drugs and those harmed by the war on drugs in moving toward a healthier Canadian society free of stigma and social exclusion.

Panelist Biographies

Garth Mullins is a person who uses drugs, an activist, and an award-winning radio documentarian. He is the host and executive producer of the Crackdown Podcast, where drug users cover the drug war as war correspondents. This is Garth’s second overdose crisis. He used injection heroin for over a decade and is now on methadone. He is a member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and is also a trade union organizer and musician. (Photo credit: Rob Newell)

Zara Snapp is the co-founder of Instituto RIA, board member of ReverdeSer Colectivo (Mexico), and the international advisor for Acción Técnica Social (Colombia). From 2014-2017, she formed part of the Secretariat of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, where she focused on the Latin American strategy and UNGASS 2016. As a Truman Scholar and Public Service Fellow, she received a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Steve Rolles is Senior Policy Analyst for the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, a UK-based think tank and charity focused on drug policy and law reform. Steve has served as an adviser for the Global Commission on Drugs and the Uruguayan and Canadian governments in developing their cannabis regulation models. He has worked closely with The LOOP in the UK facilitating the roll-out of drug safety testing at festivals.

Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, PhD (Toronto), is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Owusu-Bempah’s work focuses on the intersections of race, crime, and criminal justice, with a particular interest in the area of policing. He is currently studying various aspects of cannabis legalization in Canada and the United States. His research has recently been published in Policing and Society, Crime and Justice, and Theoretical Criminology.

Suzanne Fraser is a professor of public health (Curtin University, Australia). She is program leader for the National Drug Research Institute’s Social Studies of Addiction Concepts Research Program and author of numerous books on the body and health in society and culture. Her most recent, Habits: Remaking Addiction, is co-authored with David Moore and Helen Keane. Suzanne’s main research projects at present are two Australian Research Council-funded studies. One is exploring injecting practices and harm reduction needs among men who inject performance and image-enhancing drugs, and the other is investigating impediments to the uptake and diffusion in Australia of take-home naloxone, the opioid overdose medication known to save lives. This project will be used to create an online resource presenting accounts of overdose revival and take-home naloxone use, which will be linked to the internationally-praised website she built with colleagues on lived experiences of addiction, Livesofsubstance.org.