17th Annual ISSDP Conference
The seventeenth annual meeting of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) will be held in Tiotià:ke/Montreal, Canada, from 19 June – 21 June 2024 at the University of Montreal Health Centre (CHUM).
There have been significant shifts in drug policy in recent years. Much of this has been catalysed by the North American drug overdose crisis, which has seen the rise of a multitude of harm reduction responses including trials of drug decriminalisation; various models and legislative frameworks for supervised drug consumption; and the rise of safer supply programs. The crisis has also, in some places, seen the application of drug-induced homicide laws and harsher sentencing for those supplying drugs to someone who has fatally overdosed. These opioid-related shifts have occurred alongside changes in responses to the supply and use of cannabis and some psychedelics, including the Government of Canada’s decision in October 2018 to became the second country to legalise and regulate the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis for non-medical purposes. Globally, policy scholars are laying bare the colonial origins and disproportionate impacts of drug policies on Indigenous, racialised and minoritized communities, and seeking new approaches to redress these harms. ISSDP 2024 will be an opportunity to draw together these strands of research and explore issues in evaluating the impacts of policy change in highly dynamic policy environments.
ISSDP 2024 CONVENERS
Beau Kilmer
ISSDP Vice-President, McCauley Chair in Drug Policy Innovation, RAND Drug Policy Research Center, RAND USA
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
Registration for ISSDP 2024 is now open! Included in the registration:
- Three days of in-person Conference from Wednesday 19th to Friday 21st, 2024;
- Keynotes, talks, panels and poster sessions at the Amphithéatre Pierre-Péladeau;
- Visits to Harm reduction sites in Montreal (details to follow);
- Lunch and refreshments.
ISSDP CONFERENCE STYLE
The conference is multi-disciplinary, as befits the study of drug policy and supports qualitative and quantitative papers. ISSDP supports submission of written papers in advance of the conference. Discussants are used at each conference session, as a means to encourage debate and identify common themes, challenges and issues. For more information on the ISSDP conference style.
CONFERENCE LOCATION
The conference will be held in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal, Canada on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehà:ka, a place which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst many First Nations including the Kanien’kehá:ka of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Huron/Wendat, Abenaki, and Anishinaabeg. We recognize and respect the Kanien’kehà:ka as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters where we will meet.
A striking union of European charm and North American attitude, Montréal seduces visitors with a harmonious pairing of the historic and the new, from exquisite architecture to fine dining. It merits the moniker ‘international’ city, a cosmopolitan centre with proud roots in the past that enthusiastically embraces the future. For more information on Tiohtià:ke/Montréal.
VENUE
The conference will take place at the Amphithéâtre Pierre-Péladeau, located at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, 1050 Saint Denis St, Montreal, Quebec H2X 3J4. The venue is close to Montréal’s historic Old Port, less than 5 minutes walk from Champ de Mars metro station (Orange line) and 10 minutes walk from Berri-UQAM metro station (Green, Orange and Yellow lines).
PRELIMINARY DETAILS (more details to come)
Wednesday 19th June 2024:
- Free welcome cocktail reception at the CRCHUM Agora (Registration is required).
Thursday 20th June 2024:
- ISSDP General Assembly opened to all.
- Conference dinner at the beautiful Belvedere of the Montreal Science Center (Registration is required; the ticket is 100 CAD).
ACCOMMODATION
Room blocks with ISSDP preferential rates are available to registrants at the following hotels:
- Hampton Homewood (5 minutes walk)
- Hyatt Centric (10 minutes walk)
- Hilton DoubleTree (15 minutes walk)