Take part in our Naloxone interview - with Scots!

by David Hewson

Interview naloxone professionals from Scotland! UPDATE: the details for this interview have now been finalized!!

Let us know your thoughts! 

Ok CSSDPers, we've got an interesting opportunity here!

As most of you already know, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs passed a resolution last week to promote naloxone, an antidote for opiate overdoses. This is good news.

Amid the tweeting around this, I connected with two people from Scotland who work with naloxone: Kirsten, a registered nurse working in addictions, and Stephen, the national coordinator and lead trainer for Scotland's Naloxone Programme. I asked if they'd like to be interviewed for a post on our blog...and got a great response!!

@StephenCMalloy @kristenlh23 to keep this #Naloxone ball rolling, would either/both of you be interested in an interview for our blog?
— CSSDP (@CSSDP) March 21, 2012

@CSSDP @kristenlh23 vey kind offer! Sure we both could offer something from national and local perspectives. Thanks! :)
— Stephen Malloy (@StephenCMalloy) March 21, 2012

@StephenCMalloy @injectingadvice @cssdp ditto
— Kirsten H(@kirstenlh23) March 21, 2012

If that wasn't enough, a British harm reduction group called Injecting Advice saw what we were tweeting about, and now they want to reprint the interview on their website! Not bad.

@stephencmalloy @CSSDP @kristenlh23 would we be able to re-print the interview on the naloxone site when we launch? #itallhelps
— Injecting Advice.com (@injectingadvice) March 21, 2012

So the stage is set...and this is where you guys come in.

We want your help with this - and here's why:

1. We need to ask some good questions! For those of you with no background in harm reduction (like myself) - what do you want to know about naloxone? For those of you with more experience - what do you want to ask the pros now that we've got their attention?

2. If Injecting Advice is interested in our interview, then lots of other people must be too. Who else should we be telling about this? Some of our friends from the conference come to mind, like CAANS in Red Deer and Streetworks in Edmonton. Who else can you think of who might want to submit questions, post the interview on their blog, or otherwise get involved?

3. Last, but not certainly not least...just because. That's why you should get involved. Interviewing interesting people, building connections and promoting events for a worthy cause are all activism skills we want you to learn - so seize this opportunity to do so!

So here's what happens next.

In the comments below, tell us:

- what questions should we ask our interviewees? what do you really want to know about harm reduction, naloxone, or what's happening with drug policy in the land of haggis? ;)

- who should we tell about this? where and how can we promote this cool opportunity?

- how do you want to be involved? do you want to take part in the interview directly (you're welcome to!!)? should we try to livestream the event? do you want to live-tweet your thoughts/reactions for our followers while the interview is happening?

Let us know what you think, and we can all go on from there. Looking forward to hearing from all of you!

5th Annual Conference Roundup: Part 1

This is first of two posts in our conference roundup - click here for Part 2.

Events come and go, but for CSSDP members, there's just nothing like our annual conference. It's always been an inspiring and energizing event, and this year's event - hosted by our University of Calgary chapter - was no different.

The conference followed months of planning and a well-coordinated promotional blitz. Here's what happened next.

Thursday, March 1

We landed our first press with a piece in OpenFile Calgary. In his article, James Wilt interviewed Carlos Negraeff, the head of our University of Calgary chapter, and they discussed our conference in light of Bill C-10, which would introduce mandatory minimum sentencing for drug crimes and other charges.

Friday, March 2

The conference kicked off with a screening of the film Cocaine Unwrapped, telling the story of cocaine and the people who use it, smuggle it, enforce the laws prohibiting it, and are otherwise affected by the drug and its trade. The movie led into a Q&A session via Skype with Zara Snapp, the international liaison for our partner organization, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, who lives in Mexico and was able to shed some light on the suffering the cocaine trade has caused in that country.

Saturday, March 3

The first full day of speakers and workshops, with 80 attendees in-person and more participating online, watching our first-ever livestream or following on Twitter and Facebook.
This tweet said it all:

Watching @prfssrfeelings from my office in Mexico, talking about cannabis economics at the #cssdp12 bit.ly/wJsDM7 :)

— lismarybaby (@lismarybaby) March 4, 2012

Using the conference to promote Twitter and other online tools had been one of our goals. With chapters spread throughout our huge country, geography is not on our side, so we were naturally interested in ways to make it easier for people to connect online. The flurry of tweets, retweets and pictures with the #cssdp12 conference hash tag provided an important backchannel for conference participants, and a way for those watching from afar to get into the thick of the action.

Speakers/Panels

The day started with our keynote speaker, Marliss Taylor from Streetworks (a harm reduction organization in Edmonton) discussing the long arc of history - including the Indian Residential schools - and how we ended up where we are today with drug policy.

Our next speakers went further into the theme of harm reduction, with slightly different backgrounds and perspectives.

Scott Bernstein, from the Pivot Legal Society in Vancouver, discussed InSite - which he had defended at the Supreme Court of Canada - and the swirling cultural trends that were affecting it and other safe-injection sites.

Donald Macpherson, director of the year-old Canadian Drug Policy Coalition and a CSSDP appointed member, gave a general overview of what drug prohibition had done to our society. Pointing to the criminal elements in the illegal drug trade and the recent deaths from PMMA-contaminated ecstasy, Donald laid out how our current policies are maximizing harm - not reducing it - and called for a new approach.

The third panellist, Jennifer Vanderschaege, talked about the difficulties of doing AIDS-related harm reduction work in rural Alberta with the Central Alberta AIDS Network Society. While there was plenty of frustration, she also related the surprising allies she'd found, and suggested that when doing things that are unpopular, sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

After the panel ended, the group split into two breakout sessions. Jen from CAANS did her second speaking bit of the day, discussing community responses to policy changes, while Heather Koller, from our Thunder Bay CSSDP chapter, showed how drug dealers (and other unlikely characters) could be used as harm reduction allies. After the workshop, Heather interviewed with the CBC for an article that was published the next day.

Time for some lunch, and then our afternoon panel, called "Talking about drug policy". Who are the voices out there? What do they know? What don't they know yet, that they should? How do you talk to them about it?

The first speaker, the University of Victoria's Dr. Susan Boyd, presented on bias in how grow-op busts are reported. The mainstream media tends to portray grow-ops as run by organized crime; while many are, there is in fact a wide spectrum of different types: rural and urban, low-budget mom & pop operations, and more intricate setups.

The second speaker, CSSDP board member Karl Smyth, gave the audience a tutorial on how to talk about and debate drug policy. He pointed out the difficulties that come with challenging long-held beliefs, and the importance of finding common ground in values and beliefs.

The third speaker, Meera Bai, shared her experience in promoting harm reduction among evangelical Christians. A Christian herself, she has found that by understanding and explaining harm reduction work through Christian values, she has found strength and support among members of the religious community.

As in the morning, the panel then took questions from the audience and online. The following exchange I had with Meera showed the possibilities for dialogue we had opened up by bringing the conference online:

@davidcssdp Be honest and be yourself. Be open to what Christians have to say and ask them about it rather than telling them what you think

— Meera Bai (@senoritabai) March 3, 2012

@davidcssdp another good question! Think I answered it - the whole Bible!! :) best not to pick verses but rather look at character of God.

— Meera Bai (@senoritabai) March 3, 2012

Gotta love technology.

Time for a break. Click here to for Part 2!

#ForoDrogas in Mexico City Looks North - Zara Snapp

Note: this is a guest post by Zara Snapp, international liaison for SSDP - Students for Sensible Drug Policy, our American sister organization. You can learn more about Zara by reading her bio or following her on Twitter (@zarasnapp).

Two weeks ago in Mexico City, the organization Mexico United Against Delinquency (MUCD in Spanish) held a large forum on drugs and the need for a shift in drug policy. Several factors made this forum different from others held in the past. 

 
In the first place, MUCD is a primarily conservative organization, started by high-class folks who were beginning to feel the effects of both delinquency and the increased violence related to drug trafficking. They began to demand greater accountability for crimes and have been working towards lowering the high impunity rate in Mexico (currently at 98%). It is interesting that the issue of drug legalization has begun to creep into the discussion of businessmen and entrepreneurs. Traditionally, the public discourse regarding legalization has been kept within academia and activism. When you looked around the Forum, there was a mix of participants, activists, high-class “señoras,” academics and businessmen. In socioeconomic terms, it might have been the most diverse conferences I have ever attended.

The second factor that made this conference stand out was the curious inquiry into different international models—with a focus on Canada. While the conference also featured Mexican academics, politicians, activists and practitioners, several of the speakers were either Canadian or mentioned the Canadian drug policy model as one that could be duplicated. Participants were impressed with the story of Insite, the supervised injection site in Vancouver, and how it was politically possible through actions by practitioners such as Donald MacPherson (Note: Donald sits on our CSSDP Board of Directors!) While injection drug use is not the primary policy concern in Mexico, harm reduction strategies are entering the general discussion and folks are working to deal with both the increasing consumption and the hugely increasing transit of narcotics to the north. During the conference, we also heard from a former Vancouver police officer who shared that he had not been trained to instill fear, but rather to help people. This is in sharp contrast to the Mexican context where most folks are afraid of cops, who are seen as extremely corrupt.

Looking North - beyond the United States, to Canada - is something that is happening more and more in Mexican drug policy circles. There is a growing realization that while the United States may not act on these policies, we can begin to develop a regional strategy: collaborating across Latin America and Canada will yield greater results than just complaining about the regressive policies of the United States. This weekend, CSSDP will be hosting its 5th annual conference in Calgary. For those of you who want to learn from the Canadian model, both the accomplishments and the challenges, but can’t make it all the way up north (like me) - you can watch the conference through livestream right here! Good luck, enjoy the conference and get ready for action afterwards! Abrazos from Mexico!

Guess who's coming to the conference? Vol. 4

by David Hewson

Before I get to the profiles, a quick conference update:

1. We've set up the channel that we'll be using to livestream the conference. Not much going on there just yet ('cept occasionally some weird dude giving the double thumbs up), but please share the address with anyone who can't make the conference.

2. To: 

A) involve everyone who can't make the event, and 

B) create a conversation backchannel for everyone who can, 

we'll be using Twitter and tweeting with the #cssdp12 hash tag. There are things going on there already, so check it out, and see who's getting ready for the event.

Now that that's out of the way - attendee profiles! Today's bunch includes a veteran board member, and two more conference first-timers. If you missed the profiles we've posted so far, here are Volumes One, Two and Three.

As always - if you haven't already filled out our survey, please do! We'll post your profiles on the blog, like we did with these ones.

Here's the link:

http://dwhewson.wufoo.com/forms/tell-us-about-yourself/

Enjoy!

Lorraine Schembri

CSSDP chapter (or other organization you're involved in) 

Simon Fraser University, CSSDP Board of Directors

Which CSSDP conferences have you attended? 

Vancouver 2009, Toronto 2010

Were there any tipping points, or "A-ha!!" moments that got you into drug policy reform?

How did they come about? 

Just a hunch I've always had that something was wrong. This feeling was then completely validated during a 3 hour War On Drugs (whats wrong with it) lecture in a Psychopharmacology class in 2008.

What do you want to accomplish at this conference? 

I'd like to be inspired with new chapter and board endeavours to move away from tough-on-drug-use mentality.

Anything else to add? 

Can't wait to see old friends and meet new ones and move toward progress, not prisons!

Do you have some way for people to follow/get in touch with you before the conference? 

Yes. CSSDP SFU has a Facebook page.

Jess

CSSDP chapter (or other organization you're involved in)

Y.E.A.H. Planned Parenthood

Which CSSDP conferences have you attended? 

First time!

Were there any tipping points, or "A-ha!!" moments that got you into drug policy reform?

How did they come about? 

Doing harm reduction from previous years, this interests me in taking a stronger approach to drug users, and also to get involved politicly.

What do you want to accomplish at this conference? 

Learning more about the drug policies that are in current affect, knowing what we can do now and in the future to benefit us, as well as people coming to us for help.

Anything else to add? 

I might have to bring my 5 1/2 month baby, I have some family in Calgary, but I know some are sick, I am sorry for the inconvience. I am single mom and dont have much choice. 

Dan Werb

Twitter: @prfssrfeelings

CSSDP chapter (or other organization you're involved in) 

International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (ICSDP.org)

Which CSSDP conferences have you attended? 

First time!

Were there any tipping points, or "A-ha!!" moments that got you into drug policy reform?

How did they come about? 

I worked as a Research Fellow for the Paris-based Senlis Council in 2005 (now the International Council on Security and Development).

What do you want to accomplish at this conference? 

Present materials that will hopefully allow interested drug policy advocates to duplicate our efforts in BC cannabis policy reform in other jurisdictions.

Anything else to add? 

Present materials that will hopefully allow interested drug policy advocates to duplicate our efforts in BC cannabis policy reform in other jurisdictions.

Do you have some way for people to follow/get in touch with you before the conference? 

Yes - Twitter.

Video: what Portugal does about drugs

by David Hewson

Recently, the government of Portugal revealed that 10 years after it had decriminalized all drugs in 2001, drug abuse had reduced by half. It was a heartening validation for those of us against the drug war, and the news got plenty of press coverage, including an article in Forbes.

But how exactly does this system work? If drugs aren't fully legalized, but drug users aren't criminals, then what is the government's role, exactly?

This video clip should answer some of these questions. The speaker, Nuno Capaz, works for one of the governments drug commissions, and he talks (in very candid terms) about how things work.

Here's the link: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20469537/highlight/244293

Some of my favourite quotes from his 20-min presentation:

On how the government decided on decriminalization:
"Quite frankly, for me, one of the reasons our drug policy actually works, is that the government decided to take all the expert's recommendations and pass them into law...they said, 'if these guys are the experts, we're not gonna say they're wrong and to do other things that they don't say to do.'"

On funding addiction treatment programs:
"The government pays at least 80-100% of the treatment programs...and it's still cheaper than jail. It might not work, but at least we know that in jail, it won't work at all. At least in treatment they have a chance."

On the inherent problems with the criminal system:
"Normally, a court tends to be a coercive structure. And normally, drug users don't tend to do well with coercive structures."

On the importance of being fast:
"We do a lot of networking...if we have a drug addict that wants to go to treatment, we can refer them that day...if we say you can go there 15 days from now, he will not stop using drugs for those 15 days, and it won't work."

On use vs. abuse:
"A huge majority of users do not have a problem with using. It's pretty much like alcohol. A lot of people here  today drink alcohol regularly, and most of you don't have a problem with it."

On their approach to their work:
"We are not there to give more problems to drug users...we try to give them solutions to solve their problems."

I thought the guy made a lot of sense. What do you think?

Guess who's coming to the conference? Vol. 3

by David Hewson

Responses to our survey have been flowing in, and they've been fantastic! Each response provides a unique look at one of our attendees, their background and what they're hoping to do at the conference - so thanks to everyone who's participated so far. In case you're haven't seen the other attendee profiles yet, here's Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.

If you haven't already filled out our survey, please do! We'll post your profiles on the blog, like we did with these ones.

Here's the link:

http://dwhewson.wufoo.com/forms/tell-us-about-yourself/

Enjoy!

Michaela Montaner

Twitter: @mmontaner

Speaker - "Coalition Building" workshop (Sunday, March 4)

CSSDP chapter (or other organization you're involved in) 

International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (ICSDP.org)

Which CSSDP conferences have you attended? 
First time! 

Were there any tipping points, or "A-ha!!" moments that got you into drug policy reform?
How did they come about? 
I've supported reform for as long as I can remember! My dad is an HIV/AIDS researcher so as a kid I already had a good sense that Canadian drug policy wasn't protecting community health and safety. That said, it was probably when the Harper Conservatives started undermining Vancouver's supervised injection site that I became motivated to apply my experience as an organizer/communicator and actually do something about it. 

What do you want to accomplish at this conference? 
I want to talk with smart, passionate people about how we can work together with one another and our respective communities to help Canada adopt a public health approach to regulating illicit drugs. 

Anything else to add? 
I love CSSDP. 

Canada needs more community-driven organizations to recognize how their constituents are being adversely affected by Canadian drug policy and to do something about it. I can only imagine how much further along this movement would be if all communities had a CSSDP equivalent facilitating the action and education CSSDP does among students. Keep up the great work. 

Do you have some way for people to follow/get in touch with you before the conference? 
Yes - Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.


Ben Mossbarger
Twitter: @MossberryJam

CSSDP chapter (or other organization you're involved in) 
University of Toronto, CSSDP Board of Directors

Which CSSDP conferences have you attended? 
Toronto 2010 

Were there any tipping points, or "A-ha!!" moments that got you into drug policy reform?
How did they come about? 
Moving from Victoria, BC to Houston, Texas was a huge culture shock. The entire political climate of Texas was troubling to me, in particular their attitudes towards substance use. When I started undergrad in the US, I immediately gravitated towards my university's chapter of SSDP. 

What do you want to accomplish at this conference? 
I want to meet all the awesome people who make CSSDP as great as it is! I've been on the board of directors for a little over a year now, and it'll be great to get back in touch with the organization I'm working to keep moving. 

Do you have some way for people to follow/get in touch with you before the conference?
Yes - Facebook & Twitter.


Heiko Decosas
Twitter: @stillhope_media

Speaker - "Create your own media" workshop (Sunday, March 4)

CSSDP chapter (or other organization you're involved in) 

Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (drugpolicy.ca)

Which CSSDP conferences have you attended?
First time!

Were there any tipping points, or "A-ha!!" moments that got you into drug policy reform?
How did they come about?
Spectrum of use diagram and Bruce Alexander's Globalization of Addiction analysis...

What do you want to accomplish at this conference?
Network for a unified national response to drug policy reform.

Anything else to add?
Thanks for the work you do:)

Do you have some way for people to follow/get in touch with you before the conference?
Yes - Twitter.

Guess who's coming to the conference? Vol. 2

by David Hewson

It's time for Round 2 of conference attendee profiles! (Here's Round 1, in case you missed it.) In this edition, we've got the full spectrum - a speaker from our Harm Reduction panel, a CSSDP chapter member, and complete first-timer.

If you haven't already filled out our survey, please do! We'll post your profiles on the blog, like we did with these ones.

Here's the link:
http://dwhewson.wufoo.com/forms/tell-us-about-yourself/

Here we go...


Jennifer Vanderschaeghe 

Twitter: @CAANSRedDeer



Speaker – Harm Reduction Panel (Saturday, March 3)

CSSDP chapter (or other organization you're involved in):

Central Alberta AIDS Network Society (CAANS)

Which CSSDP conferences have you attended?

First time!

Were there any tipping points, or "A-ha!!" moments that got you into drug policy reform?

Not that I know of.

What do you want to accomplish at this conference?

Networking and learning


Ryland Steel


CSSDP chapter (or other organization you're involved in):

Queen's University

Which CSSDP conferences have you attended?

First time!

Were there any tipping points, or "A-ha!!" moments that got you into drug policy reform?
How did they come about? 

Over the course of a year I became incresingly aware of the urgency in drug policy reform. University level education was juxtaposed to my biased upbringing on the harms of drugs and led the way for alternative thinking. Understanding that in some cases the purported harms had been inflated for effect, and that in other cases those harms would be better addressed by health policy versus criminal justice policy, I made conclusions that envisaged a denouncement of drug prohibition.

What do you want to accomplish at this conference?

I would like to coordinate with others of like mind on this issue of drug prohibition and discuss both short and long term plans for rectifying decades worth of failed policy. Additionally, I would like to learn more through an interactive experience disparate from the manner in which I have thus far self-educated on the issue.

Anything else to add?

I have never been to a conference like this before and so having the opportunity would be a great joy to me considering all that it has to offer.


Dex Dunford

Twitter: @SofaProfessor

SofaProfessor.com



CSSDP chapter (or other organization you're involved in):

Sofa Professing

Which CSSDP conferences have you attended?

First time!

Were there any tipping points, or "A-ha!!" moments that got you into drug policy reform?
How did they come about?

It's just unjust and a waste of valuable time, money, resources and people to blindly fight a war against drugs like this.

What do you want to accomplish at this conference?

Learn some stuff.

Anything else to add?

No bacon on the salad.