The University of British Columbia aims to increase public dialogue about the escalating problem of drug use and possible strategies forward during a series of public forums that present a wide spectrum of perspectives and research knowledge.
Stephen Owen, Vice President, External, Legal and Community Relations, will facilitate “Drug Policy: Public Health or Criminal Justice Issue,” three mid-day forums on Feb. 13, 20 and 27 at the UBC Robson Square Theatre, 800 Robson Street. The events are free of charge. The public can pre-register by calling 604.822.1444.
Each forum will focus on one of these themes:
- Where should public health end and criminal justice begin?
- What do we tell the kids?
- How should public money be spent?
“We as a society need to educate our young people and decide how to allocate public money in dealing with drug and alcohol abuse and drug-related crime,” says Owen, who began his career with legal advocacy work in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and went on to serve as B.C.’s deputy attorney general and ombudsman. In 2007, Owen resigned as Member of Parliament for Vancouver Quadra when he joined UBC.
Forum speakers include Senator Larry Campbell, former Vancouver Mayor and B.C. Coroner; Prof. Rick Mathias, a UBC health care and epidemiology expert who supports a public health approach to drugs that takes the benefits and the harms of specific drugs into account; and Philip Owen, the former mayor of Vancouver who implemented the Four Pillars Approach, which advocates a drug policy of prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement.
Forum Details
- Date / Time:
- Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008, Noon – 1:30 p.m.,
- Location:
- UBC Robson Square Theatre, 800 Robson St.
- Event:
- Where should public health end and criminal justice begin?
- Speakers:
- Senator Larry Campbell, past Vancouver Mayor and past B.C. Coroner; public health ethics expert Dr. Brian Emerson; Inspector Scott Thompson, Vancouver Police Dept., Drug Policy Unit
- Date / Time:
- Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, Noon – 1:30 p.m.,
- Location:
- UBC Robson Square Theatre, 800 Robson St.
- Event:
- What do we tell the kids?
- Speakers:
- UBC Prof. Rick Mathias, Health Care and Epidemiology and drugs toxicity expert; Sgt. Bob Hall on RCMP drug prevention in B.C.; Director Dan Reist, Communication and Resource Centre, Centre for Addictions Research
- Date / Time:
- Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008, Noon – 1:30 p.m.,
- Location:
- UBC Robson Square Theatre, 800 Robson St.
- Event:
- How should public money be spent?
- Speakers:
- Philip Owen, former Vancouver mayor and leader of the Four Pillars Approach; SFU economist Stephen Easton, author of The costs of crime: who pays and how much?
For more details, visit: www.cstudies.ubc.ca/forum.
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