The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC) is a policy advocacy organization comprised of around 50 organizations and over 7,000 individuals striving to end the harms of drug prohibition. It operates as a project within Simon Fraser University in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Our vision is for a safe, healthy, and just Canada in which drug policies and legislation, as well as related institutional practices, are based on evidence, human rights, social inclusion, and public health principles. 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
Our mission is to advance and realize drug policies grounded in compassion and guided by science, and shift the public narrative on substance use and people who use drugs. Internationally, the CDPC provides key engagement at the United Nations level and participates in national processes focusing on international drug policy issues.
What We Do
- Produce and advance constructive policy recommendations for government and policymakers
- Build sustainable, mutually enhancing partnerships in service of our five key policy areas
- Assemble and disseminate clear information and analysis to counter stigma and change the narrative around people who use drugs
- Foster productive dialogue and action within civil society
Our Five Key Policy Areas
- Adopting a comprehensive health, social, and human rights approach to substance use
- Providing leadership in harm reduction
- Pressing for an end to the criminalization of people who use drugs
- Looking beyond drug prohibition to alternative approaches to regulating and controlling drugs
- At the local, national, and international level, promoting the human rights of people who use drugs
