UBC experts on decriminalization of hard drugs

From Jan. 31, the federal and B.C. governments will decriminalize possession of small amounts of certain drugs—opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy—intended for personal use. UBC experts are available to comment.

Lauren Airth (she/her)
PhD student in Nursing and Harm Reduction Team Lead, Campus Wellness and Education, UBC Okanagan
Email: lauren.airth@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Harm reduction measures people can take to reduce their risks when they use illicit drugs

Dr. Jade Boyd
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine and Research Scientist, BC Centre on Substance Use
Tel: Contact Kevin Hollett at 778-918-1537 to arrange interviews
Email: Email Kevin Hollett at kevin.hollett@bccsu.ubc.ca to arrange interviews
Interview language(s): English

• Decriminalization and impacts on people who use drugs

Dr. Danya Fast
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine and Research Scientist, BC Centre on Substance Use
Tel: 604-317-5976
Email: danya.fast@bccsu.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Exclusion of youth under 18, Youth Voices on Treatment report and Youth Harm Reduction Calls to Action (what youth are asking for, need to look beyond treatment beds)

*unavailable Jan. 29 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Jan. 30 from noon-3 p.m., Jan. 31, afternoon of Feb. 1, evenings after 7:30 p.m. (all times PT)

Sara Gordon
Associate Professor, Peter A. Allard School of Law
Tel: 702-505-0717
Email: gordon@allard.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Drug policy, addiction and stigma, harm reduction, peer-driven interventions, drug courts and other specialty courts

*unavailable after 2 p.m. on Jan. 26 and 31, unavailable Feb. 1 (all times PT)

Dr. Jason Hein
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Tel: 778-262-1106
Email: jhein@chem.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Harm reduction, drug checking, safe supply of controlled substances, pharmaceutical manufacturing, process chemistry, robotics and AI-assisted chemical synthesis

Dr. Emily Jenkins
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, and Canada Research Chair in socioecological approaches to mental health and substance use
Tel: 604-822-4980
Email: emily.jenkins@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Drug policy, enhancing mental health outcomes and reducing harms from substance use, talking to teens about substance use

Dr. Thomas Kerr
Professor, Department of Medicine and Director, Research, BC Centre on Substance Use
Tel: Contact Kevin Hollett at 778-918-1537 to arrange interviews
Email: Email Kevin Hollett at kevin.hollett@bccsu.ubc.ca to arrange interviews
Interview language(s): English

• Potential impacts of decriminalization, limitations related to proposed thresholds

Dr. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes (she/her)
Professor, School of Population and Public Health and Canada Research Chair in person-centred care in addition and public health
Email: eugenia.joekes@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Spanish

• Harm reduction, opioid use disorders, safe supply

*available most mornings

Prof. Benjamin Perrin
Professor, Peter A. Allard School of Law
Tel: 604-671-2939
Email: perrin@allard.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Criminal law, author of Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada’s Opioid Crisis

Tashia Petker
Clinical Psychology PhD Student, Department of Psychology, UBC Okanagan
Email: tashia.petker@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Addictions treatment, complex mental health, harm reduction, substance use in youth, psychedelic assisted therapy

*unavailable before 1 p.m. on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27, unavailable Jan. 31, unavailable before 2 p.m. on Feb. 1

Claire Pitcher (she/her)
PhD student, School of Nursing
Tel: 778-628-3933
Email: clafranc@mail.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Youth mental health and substance use

*unavailable Jan. 27 from 4-6 p.m. or Jan. 31 from 9-10:30 a.m. (all times PT)

Dr. Lindsey Richardson (she/her)
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, and Research Scientist, BC Centre on Substance Use
Email: lindsey.richardson@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, some French

• Potential social and economic impacts of decriminalization for people who use drugs, how decriminalization measures may impact social, economic and health inequity, challenges for the equitable enforcement of decriminalization limits, potential impacts of decriminalization on the drug toxicity and overdose public health emergency

*unavailable Jan. 26 before 1 p.m., Jan. 27 from 1-3 p.m., Jan. 30 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2-3:30 p.m., Feb. 1 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. (all times PT)

Dr. Zach Walsh
Professor, Department of Psychology, UBC Okanagan
Tel: 778-821-1555
Email: zachary.walsh@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Harm reduction, medical and non-medical cannabis use, treatment of problematic substance use, psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine