On Wednesday May 15, 2019, the BCCDC Foundation was pleased to sponsor the free public event that was part of a 4 day event hosted by the Peter Wall International Research Roundtable that brought together key stakeholders with Canadian and International experts from multiple disciplines. The roundtable’s purpose was in part to develop a strategic policy and research road-map for Canada to progress away from prohibitive policies and towards those that promote public health, human rights and social inclusion.
Held at the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema in the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts in downtown Vancouver, attendees of the public event were invited to “imagine a future where people have access to a safe and regulated supply of substances” as the panelists discussed potential new models for drug policy grounded in compassion, human rights and public health.
Panelists included: Steve Rolles, Senior Policy Analyst, Transform Drug Policy Foundation (UK), Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, Professor of Sociology, University of Toronto (CAN), Suzanne Fraser, Professor of Public Health, Curtin University (AUS), and Zara Snapp, Co-founder, Instituto RIA (MEX).
The moderator for the evening was Garth Mullins, activist, award-winning broadcaster and member of VANDU (the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users)…and the entire discussion was recorded to be later used on Garth’s podcast, Crackdown, which you can find here: https://crackdownpod.com ; however, this episode has a unique location: https://www.patreon.com/posts/26919719
Over 300 attended in person, but thousands will be reached via the podcast.
One of our priority areas at the BCCDC Foundation is “Reducing Harms” – we believe in and value dialogues and projects that foster a way forward that puts compassion, human rights and public health at the forefront – and we will continue to offer and support activities such as this event.
