The past three months have been a blur of activity as we further establish our presence and connect with organizations and individuals across the country and around the world. There truly is something bigger going on and momentum is building towards considering new and innovative approaches to addressing drug problems.
In February, I was invited to speak at an international conference in Mexico City – Drogas: Un balance a un siglo de su prohicion, organized by the crime prevention group Mexico Unido Contra la Delincuencia. The forum provided a thorough consideration of possible alternatives to the devastating consequences of the Mexican government’s war on drugs. Speakers came from around the world to share stories of innovation, legislative changes and practices that have moved their drug policies towards a public health approach and away from a failed criminal justice model.
Integrating Supervised Injection Into Health Services and Community: A National Knowledge Exchange
In April, CDPC organized a forum on supervised injection services in partnership with the Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver and Cactus Montreal as an ancillary event at the Canadian Association of HIV Research meeting in Montreal. The event was held in the beautiful Biblioteque et Archive National du Quebec and was a chance for organizations to share their experiences and review the current state of the discussion in their jurisdictions. CDPC will be working with a number of organizations to keep this national discussion moving forward as different localities explore implementing these services.
North American Drug Strategy Meeting – San Francisco, April 12, 13
As part of CDPC’s international work we co-hosted a meeting in partnership with the Drug Policy Alliance in the US and CUPHID from Mexico City to explore the development of a coordinated North American drug policy dialogue. The San Francisco meeting was the initial exploratory session to see how we can work together to bring forward alternatives to North America’s current drug policies. In an effort to strengthen our ties across the continent, CDPC is currently looking for Canadian allies interested in supporting our work in Mexico.
Visit to the Maritimes
As part of our ongoing efforts to build a national coalition I visited Atlantic Canada in May, attending events and meetings in Halifax, Saint John, New Brunswick and Charlottetown. Atlantic Harm Reduction Research Network invited CDPC to be a part of their public session – People and Policies: How do Drug Policies Impact the Health of our Communities? In addition to this, a day-long session with service providers and researchers also considered how best to integrate harm reduction services into shelter and emergency ward settings.
In Saint John, NB, AIDS Saint John, the Urban and Community Studies Institute at University of New Brunswick and CDPC co-hosted an event – Drugs and the City, which featured a panel discussion on drug policy with Tim Christie, Ethics Director, Saint John Health Region and Bill Reid, Chief of Saint John Police Department.
In Charlottetown, I met with a number of parents who are concerned about the lack of youth treatment on the Island and are interested in organizing a provincial “addictions movement” to generate discussion, share experiences and engage the provincial government in dialogue on improving services for people with drug problems.
Thunder Bay Municipal Drug Strategy
On May 24th Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Thunder Bay Drug Strategy put on the event – Pot, Pills and Parties. The event focused on the impact of Bill C-10 on young people and included a presentation from CDPC – Changing the Frame: A New Approach to Drug Policy in Canada.
As CDPC reaches out across the country we are finding new and innovative ways to strengthen and build our national coalition to improve Canada’s approach to drug problems. We will continue to engage Canadians and work at the international level towards this end.
Photo Credits:
Mexico – Steve Rolles
Montréal – Caroline Mousseau
San Fransisco – CC Flickr evoo73
Halifax – Wooden Shoe Photography