Bad drug policy harms workers. Drug policy is a labour issue.
Amid the ongoing unregulated drug crisis, workers are simultaneously deeply harmed by flawed drug policy, while also delivering essential services: community essentials like libraries and municipal services, primary health care, harm reduction like supervised consumption and overdose response, peer support and more. But their lifesaving work is made more difficult or even threatened as some leaders cut funding, restrict services, and scapegoat people who use drugs.
To build strong communities, we need to support and protect workers. In drug policy, that means we need to end criminalization, ensure workplace policies are reasonable and evidence-based, and invest in the things we know help communities thrive, like safe housing, liveable wages, and universal high-quality public health care.
Resources
No Drug War on the Shop Floor
Workers deserve safety, dignity, and autonomy, free from punishment or surveillance.
Substance Use & Impairment in the Workplace
Impairment is complex. Safety policies must be fair, evidence-based, and free from stigma.
Make it Universal!
Everyone deserves access to high-quality, not-for-profit care. It’s time to make healthcare truly universal.