The Alternatives to Criminalization of People Who Use Substances Community of Interest (CoI) has wrapped up as of March 31, 2024.
The goal of this CoI was to build understanding and support stakeholders and decision-makers in pursuing alternatives to the criminalization of people who use/used substances. Together, members worked to tackle stigma related to substance use and shift the perception of substance use from being a criminal issue to a health issue in need of health-based interventions and responses.
CoI Objectives
The objectives of this CoI were to:
- facilitate the sharing of resources, evidence, and knowledge related to decriminalization efforts in Ontario and beyond.
- provide a forum to facilitate connection and collaboration among people who work in the field of substance use health and harm reduction, and those who have been impacted by the toxic drug crisis and by the criminalization of people who use substances.
CoI Co-Leads
- Sara Tryon, Public Health Promoter, KFL&A Public Health, Sara.Tryon@kflaph.ca
- Shawn Fisk, Systems Stigma Navigator, Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA), shawn.fisk@capsa.ca
With knowledge mobilization support provided by David Phillips, Knowledge Broker, Provincial System Support Program (PSSP), CAMH, David.Phillips@camh.ca
Accomplishments
Participants across Ontario and beyond learned about work underway related to decriminalization. The group shared resources, created opportunities for service providers to connect and learn from each other, and organized engaging presentations that highlighted important and innovative initiatives.
Resources that the group co-developed are listed below.
Check out the rest of EENet's CoIs/CoPs here: https://kmb.camh.ca/eenet/communities.