One hundred Canadian civil society organizations are calling on the Canadian federal government to champion progressive and evidence-based drug policy positions at this week’s world forum on drugs. Spearheaded by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC), this civil society groundswell is asking federal Health Minister Dr. Jane Philpott to adopt and promote a series of 10 recommendations in her role as head of the Canadian delegation at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs. The recommendations range from scaling up support for harm reduction to decriminalizing possession of drugs for personal use.
Statement: UNGASS 2016: Recommendations to Canada for Promoting Smart Policy on Drugs