In October of 2018, Canada became the 2nd country in the world to legalize cannabis for recreational use. What does this mean for Canadians?
Join Neil Boyd, Professor and former Director of the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University, and Scott Bernstein, lawyer and Senior Policy Analyst with the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, for a discussion of cannabis legalization in Canada. They’ll cover:
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The history of drug prohibition and policies in Canada
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Federal and Provincial roles for drug policy and addressing substance use
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The legalization of cannabis for recreational use and what outcomes Canadians can expect
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The impact of legalization on medical cannabis
Register online or at 604-984-0286, ext. 8144.
About the Presenters
Scott Bernstein is Senior Policy Analyst with the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition based in Simon Fraser University, where he leads the organization’s work on legal regulation of drugs. Through his own legal practice and with Vancouver-based non-profit Pivot Legal Society, Scott has participated in strategic litigation focused on advancing human rights of people who use drugs, including challenging municipal anti-harm reduction bylaws, advocating for access to prescription heroin treatment, and defending Insite, North America’s first sanctioned injection site in the Supreme Court of Canada and lower courts. Prior to joining CDPC, Scott was a program officer with the Global Drug Policy Program of Open Society Foundations in New York. There, he supported collaboration within a global reform movement targeted at the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session through grant-making, policy expertise and strategic planning, as well as supporting a nascent drug policy reform movement in Africa. Scott has a MS in environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin and a JD from the University of British Columbia.
Neil Boyd is a Professor and former Director of the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University, educated in law at Osgoode Hall Law School. He is the author of seven books, many academic articles, and many reports for government agencies. He is a frequent media commentator, particularly on law and policy related to both legal and illegal drugs. His most recent book, A Thousand Dreams: Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and the Fight for its Future, was co-authored with Senator Larry Campbell and journalist Lori Culbert. The book was short-listed for the Donner Prize, and was the winner of the George Ryga Award for social awareness in literature.
