SSDP2018 will be an amazing opportunity to grow your skills as an activist, meet new friends from around the world, and speak truth to power by lobbying your elected officials.
The webinar series will shed light on the contentious issues that are likely to structure the debates, discuss tabled resolutions and opportunities for engagement, and showcase the experience of IDPC network members in navigating and leveraging this forum for political advocacy.
The purpose of the event will be to look to expand on innovative methods preventing fatal overdose and other drug-related harms currently being employed in Scotland, and also learn from the work of colleagues in Canada.
Supported by SSDP, INPUD, ENCOD and more, this rally will offer a platform to "celebrate, discuss, connect, think and dream" alternatives to the war on drugs.
This panel will focus on the intersection of child welfare policy and drugs. From the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s to the current opioid crisis to growing acceptance of marijuana use, race and socioeconomic status have shaped reactions to drug use and the consequences for parents and their children. Can child welfare policy be fair and nuanced enough to respond with an appropriate level of urgency and support in situations that range from casual recreational use to debilitating addiction?
Moderated by Aarin Michelle Williams, Senior Staff Attorney at National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW)
Panelists include:
Dinah Ortiz, Parent Advocate Supervisor at The Bronx Defender Services
Kassandra Frederique, New York State Director at the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)
Emma Ketteringham, Managing Attorney of the Family Defense Practice at The Bronx Defender Services
Presented by the Center for New York City Affairs.
Current drug policy makes no sense. The war on drugs has been going for decades and has had a catastrophic impact on communities across the globe. One effect of current drug policies in the UK is the widespread use of modern slavery by the gangs who peddle drugs. We are organizing a panel event to discuss human trafficking and the other effects of current drug policy. We need a new attitude to drugs!