Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

02/17/2026

Amid the toxic drug crisis, gaps in government engagement with Chinese-speaking communities have left space for misinformation to spread. Last year, CDPC and 世代同行會 Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice co-hosted conversations with Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking seniors in Vancouver’s Chinatown to address that.

Join us to learn about the project’s origins, approach, and forthcoming methodology guide, in conversation with Nicole Luongo (CDPC) and Beverly Ho (Yarrow), facilitated by Leanna Wong (MPH candidate, Simon Fraser University).

🗓️February 24, 2026
⏰10-11:30am PT | 1-2:30pm ET

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__g6o9z6QSPK6rxFa91g-VQ #/registration

02/12/2026

Chi miigwech, Denise, for sharing your knowledge, experience, and leadership with us. We are so grateful to you and to Les for such an important and powerful conversation on Indigenous harm reduction.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the space so meaningful.

If you weren’t able to attend or would like to revisit the discussion, you can watch the full webinar on our YouTube here: https://youtu.be/yaynGrUcIC8

02/11/2026

CDPC's Nick Boyce is testifying right now on Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs (SECD) as part of its study on Bill C-12.

Tune in live here: https://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/harmony/en/powerbrowser/powerbrowserv2?fk=684270&globalstreamid=3

Read our earlier press release on C-12 with allies across refugee and migrant rights, human rights, labour, health advocacy, gender justice, and law here: https://drugpolicy.ca/press-release-rights-groups-issue-urgent-warning-ahead-of-critical-c-12-vote/

Le français suit  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Blocked From Testifying, Civil Society Groups Urge Withdrawal of Bill C-12 Citing Threats to Human Rights and to Fundamental Justice OTTAWA, Nov. 24, 2025 – A broad coalition of groups from across Canada is sounding an urgent alarm in advance of a critical...

02/09/2026

Former BC Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe explains why governments favour quick fixes that look decisive, despite no evidence they work, over evidence-based solutions that actually save lives.

Watch the full conversation on our YouTube: https://youtu.be/-G-MkJFjodI

02/04/2026

“The only people, frankly, benefiting from the current model are organized crime and some of these private residential treatment centres who are charging exorbitant amounts to families who are desperate to help their loved ones become well, without any evidence that those are effective,” - Lisa Lapointe, former BC chief coroner, on BC’s drug response

Read The Tyee full article here:

The province is neglecting safer supply and housing, which are proven to reduce harms, says Lisa Lapointe.

02/03/2026

In this clip from "The Power and Limits of Evidence in Policy Change", British Columbia’s former Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe emphasizes that the approaches our governments continue to promote have no evidence to support them, while harm reduction measures have saved thousands of lives.

Watch the full webinar on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G-MkJFjodI

Read our addictions treatment position statement: https://drugpolicy.ca/our-work/addiction-treatment-position-statement/

02/03/2026

01/23/2026

For our second conversation in our Perspectives on 10 Years in Crisis speaker series, CDPC welcomes Denise Baldwin, co-founder of the Indigenous Harm Reduction Network, in conversation with Les Harper.

Together, they’ll discuss Denise’s approach to harm reduction and advocating for drug policies that meet the unique needs of her communities, the challenges she faced before 2016 and those that persist today, and how Indigenous communities have survived and navigated community care in the context of colonization, structural racism, and unequal policies.

🗓 Wednesday, February 11, 2026
⏰ 10-11am PT | 1-2pm ET
📍 Register now: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UyIlcBiKSq-D8GDlXawHgQ #/registration

01/20/2026

Working towards the recognition, implementation and exercise of our inherent Indigenous Title, Rights and Treaty Rights

01/15/2026

British Columbia is ending its decriminalization policy, despite data showing it was reducing harms and helping people access services.

This is a failure of government to address the structural issues driving visible poverty and homelessness, a failure to do the proactive engagement and dialogue to help the public understand a novel policy change in context, a failure to meaningfully respond to politically-motivated moral panic, and ultimately, a failure to support and defend a policy that showed promise.

This return to criminalizing and punishing people for their substance use is more than a step backward. By so thoroughly and disingenuously fumbling the potential of this initiative, the province of B.C. has done a deep and lasting disservice to people harmed by the unregulated toxic drug crisis worldwide.

Read our full blog post: https://drugpolicy.ca/bc-revives-criminalization/

01/15/2026

"Substance use is a health issue, not a criminal one. Decriminalization was meant to address the stigma and discrimination that surrounds those who use substances."

Read First Nations Health Authority full statement here:

​The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) respects that there are many approaches to addressing the toxic drug public health emergency in BC, including evidence-based policy adjustments. As a health system partner to the Provincial Government, we are disappointed that FNHA was not engaged...