Blueprints for Beyond Prohibition: Dialogue on the New Drug Policy

The Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy presents its third national conference, hosted by Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. Over the past 12 months we have seen some remarkable progress in drug policy around the world. In Mexico, possession of small amounts of narcotics has been decriminalized. In California and around the United States, alternatives to drug prohibition are being discussed with a new urgency and legitimacy by elected officials and mainstream media. Switzerland's heroin prescription program was made permanent in November, 2008. In Canada, the supervised injection facility, Insite, survived yet another constitutional attack from the federal government. However, with each step forward there comes an intensified resistance to the emerging new generation of drug policy. Following our 2008 National Conference on "100 Years of Failed Drug Policy in Canada" in Ottawa, this year's conference will present, explore and debate existing alternatives to drug prohibition in Canada. We will bring together students, community members, drug users, politicians, law enforcement, researchers, clinicians and legal experts for an informed, collaborative and critical 'visioning' of regulated systems for currently-illegal substances. The conference will begin with live entertainment on Friday evening, followed by two days of speakers and workshops. The Opening Keynote Address (TBA) on Saturday, October 24, will be followed by two panel sessions, an interative lunch session, and a diverse workshop schedule in the afternoon. On Sunday, two more panel sessions, CSSDP Board Elections and another workshop series will be offered, follwed by a Closing Keynote (TBA). Speakers will explore currently practiced alternatives to prohibition, international precendents and perspectives, exploratory therapeutic uses of psychoactive substances and other related topics. The final program will be available by mid-August 2009 and we are still recruiting panellists and workshop leaders from across North America. If you have a program suggestion, or would like to participate as a volunteer, donor or speaker, contact us. Applications and registration forms will be available in July 2009 online at cssdp.org. Scholarships are available for student, youth and NGO attendees. Volunteers from SFU, UBC, and all other Canadian schools, including high-schools, are encouraged to participate. For more information, contact Ashley White at ashley@cssdp.org.