North America

US President Nixon launched the "war on drugs" in the 1970s. Today, incarceration, social marginalisation and drug-related deaths have led North America to rethink this strategy. However, although positive developments are happening locally in the fields of harm reduction, alternatives to incarceration, new drug law enforcement approaches and cannabis regulation, the US and Canadian federal governments remain resistant to drug policy reform.

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Results 1 to 20 of 1060.

Pandemic pushes British Columbia to move forward on safe take-home drug supply strategy

The law modifications allow prescribers and pharmacists to prescribe individualized take-home supplies of drugs, and pharmacists to deliver medications and extend or refill prescriptions over the phone.

News Alerts 1 day, 21 hours ago

Supervised injection site in South Philadelphia will not open — at least for now

Despite a recent federal judge ruling in its favour, local opposition has thwarted the opening of the first site in the US.

News Alerts February 28, 2020

Cannabis legalisation in Canada – One year on

Transform analyses tentative data on the impact of cannabis regulation in Canada, noting challenges in terms of social equity.

Publications February 27, 2020

Prison needle exchanges in Canada driven by security, not health concerns, federal watchdog says in critical report

Canada’s prison needle exchange is failing to achieve its goals due to a lack of trust in the program by both staff and prisoners.

News Alerts February 21, 2020

Associations between community-level LGBTQ-supportive factors and substance use among sexual minority adolescents

Watson et al. found that the availability of LGBTQ community-level organisations, events and programs can have protective effects among sexual minority young people.

Publications February 21, 2020

What has changed since cannabis was legalized in Canada?

Rotermann examines the impacts of the legalisation of Cannabis in Canada by analysing the difference in cannabis sourcing and use.

Publications February 21, 2020

Banning GHB at raves is dangerous

Bans on GHB and GBL are pushing users to rush dosing and to not seek help from event organisers if they are unwell.

News Alerts February 14, 2020

Trump is running on criminal justice reform but just praised China’s execution of drug dealers

“States with a very powerful death penalty on drug dealers don’t have a drug problem,” the president claimed, falsely.

News Alerts February 14, 2020

'I feel like I have a purpose': People who used drugs working to save lives in the UK

Addaction's naloxone training and distribution project shows the power of peer-led responses in preventing overdose deaths.

News Alerts February 14, 2020

Comparative effectiveness of different treatment pathways for opioid use disorder

Wakeman et al. found that buprenorphine and methadone are superior in reducing opioid-related overdose, highlighting the importance of access and retention.

Publications February 14, 2020

Film screening and Q&A — Liquid handcuffs: A documentary to free methadone

10 February 2020 18:00-20:00

New York, USA

OSF presents a documentary that explores the intersection of methadone with race, class, social control, and stigma.

Events 7 February 2020

Monitoring and evaluating changes in cannabis policies: Insights from the Americas

The EMCDDA provides an overview of the changes in cannabis policies in the Americas and the evidence emerging from evaluations of their impact.

Publications February 3, 2020

Criminal justice reform in the fentanyl era: One step forward, two steps back

The Drug Policy Alliance reports on the danger of the new American fentanyl laws and states that the best way to reduce fentanyl-related deaths is through evidence-based public health and harm reduction approaches.

Publications January 31, 2020

Stimulant safe supply: A potential opportunity to respond to the overdose epidemic

Fleming et al. discuss the potential impacts that a safe supply of stimulants would have on health outcomes, including in relation to overdose.

Publications January 25, 2020

Vancouver's drug-dispensing machine: Why it exists and how it works

A number of registered opioid users would be able to access standard-quality hydromorphone as a means to reduce the risk of overdose and death associated with a fentanyl-dominated opioid market.

News Alerts January 25, 2020

The latest failure in the war on drugs

At least 25 US states have introduced laws that criminalise people who supply drugs involved in an overdose, a move experts decry as ineffective posturing.

News Alerts January 25, 2020

Drug decriminalisation: A matter of justice and equity, not just health

This paper discusses the need to ensure the drug-use-as-a-health-issue discourse does not side-line the racism and stigma embedded in drug policy and its implementation.

Publications January 7, 2020

Report on drug use in the Americas

The OAS provides statistics concerning the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in the Western Hemisphere.

Publications January 6, 2020

Rethinking the “drug dealer”

DPA argues the resources dedicated to punitive responses targeting suppliers mostly compound, rather than resolve, drug-related challenges.

Publications January 6, 2020

Decriminalisation is not a radical solution to the opioid crisis. And it would work.

The former Health Minister of Canada urges for reform in light of overdose crisis devastation.

News Alerts January 3, 2020

International Drug Policy Consortium

North America

Pandemic pushes British Columbia to move forward on safe take-home drug supply strategy

Supervised injection site in South Philadelphia will not open — at least for now

Cannabis legalisation in Canada – One year on

Prison needle exchanges in Canada driven by security, not health concerns, federal watchdog says in critical report

Associations between community-level LGBTQ-supportive factors and substance use among sexual minority adolescents

What has changed since cannabis was legalized in Canada?

Banning GHB at raves is dangerous

Trump is running on criminal justice reform but just praised China’s execution of drug dealers

'I feel like I have a purpose': People who used drugs working to save lives in the UK

Comparative effectiveness of different treatment pathways for opioid use disorder

Film screening and Q&A — Liquid handcuffs: A documentary to free methadone

Monitoring and evaluating changes in cannabis policies: Insights from the Americas

Criminal justice reform in the fentanyl era: One step forward, two steps back

Stimulant safe supply: A potential opportunity to respond to the overdose epidemic

Vancouver's drug-dispensing machine: Why it exists and how it works

The latest failure in the war on drugs

Drug decriminalisation: A matter of justice and equity, not just health

Report on drug use in the Americas

Rethinking the “drug dealer”

Decriminalisation is not a radical solution to the opioid crisis. And it would work.

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