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 1012.

Colorado Reviews New Social Equity Marijuana Business Licenses

As Colorado defines new cannabis licenses to facilitate industry access for people living in deprived areas, some fear it's 'too little, too late'.

News Alerts 4 days, 14 hours ago

Women Incarcerated in the Americas Demand Sweeping Changes

24 September 2019 18:00-20:30

Washington DC, United States

What are the most recent trends regarding women’s incarceration in the Americas? Who are the women behind bars? Experts from the IACHR and from Brazil, Mexico, and the United States will investigate these questions and more in what promises to be an eye-opening conversation.

Events 4 days, 15 hours ago

What is a 'safe supply' of drugs and how would it work in British Columbia?

Advocates argue that a legal and regulated system of access would minimise the risks of a heavily contaminated drug supply.

News Alerts 4 days, 18 hours ago

'We don't have a choice': Experts call for the decriminalisation and safe supply of drugs in British Columbia

Health care and addiction specialists say it is the only way to start saving lives.

News Alerts 5 days, 13 hours ago

Johns Hopkins has launched the first center devoted exclusively to researching psychedelic drugs in the U.S.

The centre will explore the potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin in addressing ailments such as Alzheimer's, drug dependence and PTSD.

News Alerts September 12, 2019

How racism and inequality are influencing the rise of legalised cannabis in the United States

Grass Is Greener is a new documentary that raises challenging questions about how the legacy of the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and racial injustice in the United States has influenced the country’s burgeoning legal cannabis industry.

News Alerts September 11, 2019

Who still prosecutes people for possessing syringes in the United States?

Most states host some kind of syringe exchange program, but the laws providing legal protection tend to have loopholes. In Pennsylvania, someone with a syringe obtained from a program is safe in Philadelphia, a more liberal part of the state, but can be thrown into jail anywhere else.

News Alerts September 11, 2019

Seattle’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD): Program effects on recidivism outcomes

This research shows that putting people through programs that aim to help and support them as an alternative to incarceration reduce the odds of recidivism.

Publications August 30, 2019

Formerly incarcerated women in the Americas connect in first-ever regional workshop

This workshop gathered women from 8 countries in the Americas to discuss incarceration conditions and share experiences to build a movement advocating for the rights of incarcerated women.

News Alerts August 30, 2019

The future of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids

RAND offers a systematic assessment of the past, present, and possible futures of synthetic opioids in the United States, highlighting the need to improve existing responses.

Publications August 29, 2019

Five of the ways unsanctioned harm reduction continues to blaze trails

Often at great risk, grassroots and community-led activism often fills gaps in service provision resulting from domestic laws.

News Alerts August 27, 2019

Cost-effectiveness analysis of alternative naloxone distribution strategies: First responder and lay distribution in the United States

The widespread use of naloxone could result in more deaths averted and more money saved

Publications August 22, 2019

What users in the USA spend on illegal drugs

RAND provides insights on the U.S. markets for cocaine, heroin, cannabis and methamphetamine. Covering the years 2006–2016, it offers statistics on prevalence, use and expenditure.

Publications August 20, 2019

Canada might have found a back door to end the war on drugs

Canada’s increased funding towards harm reduction provides an avenue to transform lives, and a way out of punishment-centred drug policy .

News Alerts August 20, 2019

Cannabis and mental health - Priorities for research in Canada

The Mental Health Commission of Canada urges to close gaps in the existing research on cannabis and mental health, leveraging the country's legal regulation system.

Publications August 12, 2019

Thousands of B.C. nurses call for the province to save lives by decriminalising drugs

B.C. nurses come together to emphasise that the criminalisation of drug use fuels overdose deaths, despite harm reduction services.

News Alerts August 9, 2019

After the grand opening: Assessing cannabis supply and demand in Washington State

RAND provides a tentative overview on patterns of use and modes of access post-regulation.

Publications August 7, 2019

Review of approaches taken in Ireland and in other jurisdictions to simple possession drug offences

This report reviewed approaches taken in Ireland and nine other jurisdictions to simple possession drug offences to identify alternative options and analyse their advantages and disadvantages.