With no time for half-measures, Canada needs full decriminalization nation-wide, led by lived experience and evidence Monday, January 30, 2023 — This week, we are watching with great interest as the possession of some drugs in small amounts will finally be decriminalized in the Province of British Columbia. While in theory a positive step forward … Read more
November 30, 2022 — Today, the HIV Legal Network marks World AIDS Day by joining with the United Nations (UN) in a call to governments around the world to reform laws, policies, and practices that create and exacerbate the stigma faced by people living with HIV. With this year’s theme being “Equalize,” we are focused … Read more
November 29, 2022 — Today, researchers at the HIV Legal Network and Toronto Metropolitan University have released Points of Perspective, the very first national independent study of Canada’s “Prison Needle Exchange Program” (PNEP). It is based on interviews with people formerly incarcerated in federal prisons across the country and provides an overview of the PNEP … Read more
Despite ample empirical evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of needle and syringe programs, the federal Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) refused for decades to implement this essential prison harm reduction program. After years of inaction, in 2012 the HIV Legal Network along with Steve Simons, a man formerly incarcerated in a federal prison, and three HIV … Read more
Introducing Our New Podcast: Not a Crime Today, on International Drug Users Day, we will begin sharing stories of criminalization from around the world through our new podcast, Not a Crime. Featuring interviews with our policy analysts along with people working farther afield, Not a Crime will highlight the impact of criminalization on people living … Read more
Featuring interviews with our policy analysts along with people working farther afield, Not a Crime will highlight the impact of criminalization on people living with HIV and people who use drugs over the coming months. June 16 , 2025 – How Media Narratives Further the Harms of HIV Criminalization March 25, 2025 – Talking to … Read more
This submission was made to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs by the Centre On Drug Policy Evaluation and the HIV Legal Network on the Review of Bill C-5, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act on September 21, 2022.
The HIV Legal Network promotes the human rights of people living with HIV or AIDS and other populations disproportionately affected by HIV and criminalization, in Canada and internationally. In 2021, we undertook a planning process that would shape the strategic goals and priorities for the organization’s next five years (2022-2027). To do this, we sought … Read more
In 2021, the HIV Legal Network undertook a planning process that would shape the strategic goals and priorities for the organization’s next five years (2022-2027). To do this, we sought the input of a broad range of stakeholders, from partner organizations to people living with and affected by HIV and criminalization, to staff. All identified … Read more
Supervised consumption services (SCS) are an effective intervention to reduce the harms associated with drug prohibition and a toxic drug supply. SCS increase access to health care, promote safer consumption, and prevent overdoses and other health complications. An SCS may support multiple forms of drug consumption, including consumption by injection, inhalation (smoking), oral, and intranasal … Read more