PAN’s Drug Policy Report

PAN’s 2016 Fall Conference was held on October 25 and 26th. A significant portion of the conference program was devoted to discussing the pressing issue of Canada’s national drug policy and its effects on public health in the context of BC’s ongoing crisis of overdose (OD) and overdose deaths. Since that time, we have been working to pull together a Drug Policy Report that reflects the many discussions that took place among conference participants who included delegates of PAN member organizations, persons with lived experience, and other allied stakeholders including health authority representatives, representatives from the Ministry of Health, Pubic Health Agency of Canada and other policy makers and influencers.

Conference attendees discussed the status of Supervised Consumption Sites (SCS) in BC and Canada, and the deleterious impacts of Bill C-2 (the Respect for Communities Act). Many spoke to a lack of sufficient resources and the need for greater supports and capacity for those working on the front-lines, for those who are experiencing trauma, grief, and ethical and moral challenges. Throughout, there was repeated acknowledgement of the need to include People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) in decision-making, policy and program development, in order to effectively respond to BC’s current crisis and the ongoing public health emergency.

This report summarizes the information and perspectives shared via the various conference presentations, roundtable discussions, topic tables and Q&A sessions that took place in October. Some of the latest changes to drug policy and programming are also noted. Based on the conference deliberations and taking into account the latest developments, the report highlights potential policy change and advocacy items for PAN and allied organizations and partners to consider as we look to the future.