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 1237.

Reasons for purchasing cannabis from illegal sources in legal markets: Findings among cannabis consumers in Canada and U.S. states, 2019–2020

Goodman et al. find high prices, inconvenience and access issues can limit the transition of users from illegal to legal sources.

Publications June 8, 2022

United States: The methadone clinic system needs abolition, not a tepid reform bill

Allowing people to access their OAT medication through a local pharmacy would reduce the arbitrary and punitive logics that pervade the current system.

News Alerts June 8, 2022

72nd regular session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD)

8 - 11 November 2022

TBC

The seventy second regular session of CICAD will take place on 8-11 November 2022.

Events 7 June 2022

“We need decriminalization for all": Drug policy & human rights organizations say model in British Columbia leaves many behind

Despite moving the needle forward, the exemption granted by the federal government falls short from the province's proposal.

News Alerts June 7, 2022

Ukraine/Russia: When Putin labels Zelensky a “drug addict,” it implicates the wider world

Weaponising stigmatizing language around drugs has long been and continues to be employed by autocratically-minded politicians across the globe, with violent and destructive effects on lives, health and human rights.

News Alerts May 18, 2022

2022 American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting

16 November 2022 - 19 November 2021

Atlanta, Georgia; United States

The 2022 ASC Annual Meeting will take place in Atlanta, Georgia; from 16-19 November 2022.

Events 5 May 2022

Biden’s new drug control strategy: Long overdue focus on harm reduction and other takeaways

The Biden administration’s drug control strategy; centering on treatment and harm reduction

News Alerts May 5, 2022

Mothers who use drugs: Closing the gaps in harm reduction response amidst the dual epidemics of overdose and violence in a Canadian urban setting

Boyd et al. shed light on the harmful impact of punitive and stigmatising policies and practices on mothers' overdose risk, concluding on the need to expand support and care in the community.

Publications April 21, 2022

Public safety and cannabis: Taking stock of knowledge since legalization - A virtual cannabis policy research symposium report

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction summarises 6 studies assessing key impacts and pending questions brought about by the legal regulation of cannabis in the country.

Publications April 21, 2022

Exclusive data shows Canadian cops target more Black and Indigenous folks for drug arrests

Drug possession charges and arrests dropped following cannabis legalisation, but racialised communities remain disproportionately targeted by the criminal legal system.

News Alerts April 21, 2022

Associations between classic psychedelics and opioid use disorder in a nationally-representative U.S. adult sample

Jones et al. find a correlation between lifetime psilocybin use and lowered odds of opioid dependence, calling for further studies to determine whether this relationship is causal.

Publications April 20, 2022

Bill to legalise cannabis passes U.S. House, but faces dim prospects in Senate

The bill aims to federally de-schedule cannabis, expunge related criminal records, and direct resources toward social programmes.

News Alerts April 4, 2022

The shame spiral of addiction: Negative self-conscious emotion and substance use

Batchelder et al. draw links between internalised shame and guilt and challenges to reduce stimulant use.

Publications March 28, 2022

Reduced emergency department visits and hospitalisation with use of an unsanctioned safe consumption site for injection drug use in the United States

Lamdin et al. provide further evidence on the health benefits associated with these harm reduction interventions.

Publications March 28, 2022

Harm reduction - Video feature in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

The spiralling loss of life resulting from overdose deaths in North America must prompt an urgent reorientation of drug policy and public resources to strengthen health and harm reduction responses.

News Alerts March 28, 2022

The narcofeminism storyshare model

The model creates a safe space for sharing and deconstructing internalised narratives around the drug war.

News Alerts March 23, 2022

10th Symposium on HIV, Law, and Human Rights - HIV criminalization: Challenging injustice in Canada and around the world

22 March 2022

Online

This virtual event will bring together people living with HIV, policymakers, legal and health professionals, along with activists and allies for a discussion about HIV and human rights.

Events 23 February 2022

13th US National Harm Reduction Conference

13 - 16 October 2022

San Juan, Puerto Rico

The 2022 National Harm Reduction Conference comes at a time when harm reduction, health care, and drug policy reform have entered a dynamic and critical phase.