CANADIAN STUDENTS FOR SENSIBLE
DRUG POLICY PRESENTS…
A RISING REVOLUTION:
DRUG POLICY REFORM AROUND THE GLOBE
February 27th-March 1st 2015
Sidney Smith Hall, 100 St George Street
University of Toronto
This weekend Canadian Students For Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) will be hosting its 7th Annual National Conference, “A Rising Revolution: Drug Policy Reform Around the Globe,” from Friday February 27 to Sunday March 1, 2015 at University of Toronto. As the only drug policy reform conference in Canada, “A Rising Revolution” will bring together international drug policy experts to share insights into the future of drug policy in Canada and around the world. According to Donald MacPherson, Executive Director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, “It is clear that drug policy is at a tipping point for reasons that have become clear over the past few years. Current approaches are ineffective, costly, unsustainable and in fact cause significant harm. The shift from the war on drugs to an approach that embraces health and social responses to drug problems is well underway globally. Canada could be a leader in this area.” CSSDP Outreach Director Lisa Campbell emphasized, “with drug policy reforms occurring globally, the time is now to engage youth in a national dialogue on the future of drug policy in Canada.” The conference will focus on public health approaches to drug policy including cannabis legalization and harm reduction.
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Carl Hart, Author of “High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society”, Associate Professor, Columbia University
Donald MacPherson, ED, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
Marc & Jodie Emery, Cannabis Culture
Johann Hari, Author of “Chasing the Scream”
Brian O’Dea, Author of “High: Confessions of an International Drug Smuggler”
Dana Larsen, Director, Sensible BC
Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) is a grassroots network of youth and students across Canada who are interested in reforming drug policy on a local, national and international level. CSSDP is a national voice for young people across the country who want an active voice in this debate, and advocate for drug policy focused on public health and research-based evidence. For more info check out www.cssdp.org.
Platinum Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Silver:
Bronze:
Media Sponsor:
Social Sponsor:
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Plenary Room = SS 2102
Room 1 = SS 2106
Room 2 = 22108
Friday
Drug Policy Community Tours
12pm-1:30pm Harm Reduction Tour (Lunch included)
South Riverdale Community Health Centre, 955 Queen Street East
Hosted by the COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program
12pm-1:30pm Harm Reduction Tour ** SOLD OUT**
Central Toronto Community Health Centre, 168 Bathurst
Hosted by the Queen West Harm Reduction Program Street
2pm-5:30pm Cannabus Tour ** SOLD OUT**
Pick up: 168 Bathurst Street
Explore Toronto’s tantalizing cannabis culture with its most colorful commentators Amy Anonymous and Matt Mernagh. Tour participants will celebrate and engage in Toronto’s rich, but somewhat forgotten history and lore. Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy registrants will create another page in Toronto’s cannabis culture with advocates Marc Emery, Jodie Emery and Dana Larsen onboard. In case you can’t turn up live, tune in and watch what happens as The Mernahuana Zone producer Chris Goodwin will demonstrate his marijuana media activism by webcasting the event.
4pm-6pm Registration
6pm Opening Remarks: Councillor Joe Cressy
Public Health Approaches to Drug Policy
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition National Dialogue
Moderator: Nazlee Maghsoudi, Chair, Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Susan Shepherd, Manager, Toronto Drug Strategy Secretariat
Donald MacPherson, Executive Director, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
Denise Baldwin, IDU Outreach Worker, Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy
Dan Werb, PhD, Director, International Centre for Science in Drug Policy
Bernard Le Foll, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto
Respondent: Dr. Carl Hart, Columbia University
Friday
8:15 PM Conference Opening Party
Location: Madison Ave Pub, 14 Madison Ave.
Reservation under ‘CSSDP’
Saturday
8:00 AM – 12:30 PM Registration
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM Welcome & Opening Remarks
Jenna Valleriani, Conference Chair, CSSDP
Lisa Campbell, Outreach Director, CSSDP
Meena Rizwan, CSSDP Board Member
Wanda Whitebird, Womens Coordinator, Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy
Kali and Kyle from the Eva’s Initiatives SPOT Program
Honourable MP Adam Vaughan
9:40 AM – 11:00 AM Keynote: Dr. Carl Hart, Columbia University
11:00 AM – 11:10 AM Break
11:10 AM – 12:30 PM Drug Policy at the United Nations:
United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) Panel
Hosted by Open Society Foundations
Moderator: Donald MacPherson, Executive Director, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
Scott Bernstein, Program Officer, Global Drug Policy Program, Open Society Foundations
Heather Haase, Chair, New York NGO Committee on Drugs
Ayesha Mian, President Students for Sensible Drug Policy UK
Nazlee Maghsoudi, Chair, Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch
Book Signing: Dr. Carl Hart
12:45-1:30 PM Lunch and Learn with NationBuilder & Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
1:30 PM – 2:50 PM Breakout Sessions
Plenary Room: Nightlife Harm Reduction
Moderator: Lisa Campbell, Outreach Director, CSSDP
Brun González, Espolea, Mexico City, Mexico
Munroe Honsberger, Karmik, Vancouver
David Stuart, Substance Use Lead, GUM/HIV (addressing #ChemSex behaviours)
Lori Kufner, Coordinator, Trip Project, Toronto
Julie-Soleil Meeson, M.Sc, Directrice GRIP Montréal
Room 1: Racism and the War on Drugs
Moderator: Michael Brito, Osgoode Hall, York University
Julius Haag, PhD Candidate, Department of Criminology, University of Toronto
Maija Martin, Criminal Defence Lawyer, Movement Defence Committee of the Law Union of Ontario
Nicolas Lopez, Jane and Finch Youth Organizer
Kali from the Eva’s Initiatives SPOT Program
Knia Singh, Osgoode Society Against Institutional Injustice
Room 2: Emerging Trends in Youth Drug Use and Treatment
Hosted by the Canadian Harm Reduction Network
Moderator: Walter Cavalieri, Executive Director, Canadian Harm Reduction Network
Cathy Dang & Daniel Shonibare, students at Canadian Harm Reduction Network
Wende Wood, Accredited Psychiatric Pharmacist
Navprit Singh, Youth Substance Abuse Program, YMCA
Sandy Mteirek, Advocacy Coordinator, Skoun, Lebanon
3:00 PM – 4:20 PM Breakout Sessions
Panel: Youth Movements Leading International Drug Policy Reform
Hosted by SSDP International Organizing Committee
Moderator: Ayesha Mian, President, Students for Sensible Drug Policy UK
Jake Agliata, Outreach Coordinator for the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Mountain, Pacific, and International regions & Chair, International Outreach Committee, Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Sarah Merrigan, Vice Chair International Outreach Committee, Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Lisa Campbell, Outreach Director, CSSDP
Jessica Murray, SSDP, UOIT-Durham
Graham de Barra, Pomidou Group (Council of Europe), SSDP Ireland Alumni
Sandy Mterik and Sally Shamas, Skoun
Room 1: Medical Cannabis in Canada: Licensed Producers, Dispensaries, and Home growing: Future Possibilities in Patient Access and Care
Moderator: Theresa Kozak – Client Services Manager, MedCannAccess
Adam Greenblatt, Executive Director, Santé Cannabis
Dr. Danial Schecter, Executive Director, Cannabinoid Medical Clinic
Dana Larsen, Director, Sensible BC, Executive Director, The Medical Cannabis Dispensary
Marc Wayne, President, Bedrocan
Jonathan Zaid, Director, Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana (CFAMM)
Room 2: Facing Criminalization: The Development of Peer Support for People Who Use Drugs
Hosted by John Howard Society of Toronto
Moderator: Amber Kellen, Director of Community Initiatives, Policy and Research, The John Howard Society of Toronto
Cindy Ferguson, Reintegration Centre Coordinator, The John Howard Society of Toronto
Lindsay Jennings, Support Worker, The John Howard Society of Toronto
Harold Johnson, Support Worker, The John Howard Society of Toronto
Peter Leslie, Support Worker, The John Howard Society of Toronto
4:30 PM – 5:50 PM Breakout Sessions
Plenary Room: Worker Forum: Barriers, Solutions, and Next Steps in Harm Reduction
Hosted by the Toronto Harm Reduction Workers Union (THRWU)
Moderator: Pat Fifield, Toronto Harm Reduction Worker, THRWU
Peter Leslie, Toronto Harm Reduction Worker, THRWU
Kathy Pinero, Toronto Harm Reduction Worker, THRWU
Zoë Dodd, Toronto Harm Reduction Worker ,THRWU
Meena Rizwan, Outreach Worker, Trip! Project, CSSDP Board
Room 1: Workshop: Responding to Drug Related Emergencies
Greg Khaymov, Parkdale CHC, Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Cameron Reid, Parkdale CHC, Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance
Kris (Kristel) Guthrie, RN Health Promotion Specialist The Works, Toronto Public Health
Michael Vipperman, Psychonaut
Room 2: Workshop: Strategic Litigation
Hosted by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
Scott Bernstein, Program Officer, Global Drug Policy Program, Open Society Foundations
Cecile Kazatchkine, Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
Nathan Allen, Coordinator of Insite for Community Safety, Portland Hotel Society
Mikhail Golichenko, Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
6:30 – 7:30 AGM
8 PM FILM SCREENING & DISCUSSION
Hosted by NORML Canada
The Culture High
MC Craig Jones
Join CSSDP in partnership with NORML Canada at one of the first Toronto screenings of ‘The Culture High’, a documentary which examines the present cannabis debates surrounding legalization. The highly anticipated sequel to “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High” includes appearances from Richard Branson, Snoop Dogg, Lester Grinspoon, Joe Rogan and Gabor Mate, analyzing the motives and arguments of both sides of the legalization discussion. This screening will take place in Sidney Smith Hall at the University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street. Thank you to NORML Canada for hosting this exciting event!
10:00 PM Conference Reception
Location: Centre for Social Innovation, 215 Spadina Ave, 1st floor
Directions: Walk out to Spadina Ave from Sidney Smith Hall, take TTC streetcar 10 minutes down Spadina, exit at Sullivan Street.
Join us for some appetizers and refreshments at the Centre for Social Innovation. Check out the rooftop for a beautiful view of downtown Toronto! Let’s celebrate the future of drug policy together.
Sunday
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM Breakfast & Registration (outside Plenary Room, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 2102)
9:30 AM – 11 AM #RisingRevolution Talks
Donna May, Jac’s Voice
Johann Hari, Author of “Chasing the Scream”
Brun González, Harm Reduction Program Coordinator, Espolea, Mexico City, Mexico
Brian O’Dea, Author of “High: Confessions of an International Drug Smuggler”
11:00 AM – 11:10 AM Break
11:10 AM – 12:30 PM
Introduction: Greg Khaymov, CSSDP Board Member
Keynote Marc Emery
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch
Regional Chapter Brainstorming Networking
Book Signing: Brian O’Dea
1:30 PM – 2:50 PM Breakout Sessions
Plenary Room: Panel: Voting for Legalization
Moderator: Paul Lewin, Criminal Lawyer & Ontario Regional Director, NORML Canada
Jodie Emery, Public speaker, political activist, owner of Cannabis Culture & Pot TV
Dana Larsen, Director, Sensible BC; Executive Director, The Medical Cannabis Dispensary
Craig Jones, Executive Director, NORML Canada
Stefan Ferraro, Philosophy Student, University of Toronto
Alyson Mryden, Patient Advocate
Room 1: New Psychoactive Substances
Moderator: Lisa Campbell, Outreach Director, CSSDP
Andrew Wilson, Trip! Project
Marc Allen, Trip! Project
Nazlee Maghsoudi, Trip! Project / Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy Chair
Brun González, Espolea, Mexico City, Mexico
Room 2: Gender, Sexuality and Harm Reduction
Moderator: Meena Rizwan, Outreach Worker, Trip! Project, CSSDP Board Member
Sheryl Jarvis, Counsellor/Advocate, Community Action for Families
David Stuart, Substance Use Lead, GUM/HIV (addressing #ChemSex behaviours)
Kara Janowsky, Chapter Chair, Women Grow; Chapter President, SSDP at the University of Colorado at Boulder
Carver Manuel-Smith, Volunteer, Trip! Project
3:00 PM – 4:20 PM Breakout Sessions
Plenary Room: Needle Syringe Programs in Prisons
Annika Ollner, HCV Federal Prison Coordinator, PASAN
Wanda Whitebird, Women’s Outreach Worker, Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy (Oahas)
Cécile Kazatchkine, Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
Emily van der Meulen, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminology, Ryerson University
Room 1: Legalizing Coca: Roundtable Discussion
Ella Quarrey, Munk School as a Masters Candidate in Global Affairs
Sam Quarrey, University of Waterloo as a Bachelor of Environmental Studies, Honours International Development Alumni
Room 2: Drug Checking
Moderator: Alex Bestos, Karmik, CSSDP Board
Brun González, Espolea, Mexico City, Mexico
Lori Kufner, Coordinator, Trip! Project
Julie-Soleil Meeson, M.Sc, Directrice, GRIP Montréal
Evan Dorion, Nightlife Harm Reduction Advocate
4:30 – 6:00 PM Mapping the Future of Canadian Drug Policy (Room 2)
Co-Facilitated by Canadian Drug Policy Coalition & Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy