Prohibition surrounding drugs has been prevalent in our society for decades. From a rich history surrounding the criminalization of people who use illegal drugs, there’s been a recent emphasis on harm reduction, the question is – is harm reduction really an alternative approach?
Lisa Wright, a PhD Candidate in the Department of Law and Legal Studies is looking into the legality and provision of harm reduction services. She is examining how people engage in harm reduction, and the legislation, policies and rules that guide the provision of it. Wright intends to demonstrate that harm reduction is not really the alternative to prohibition that it was expected to be.
Wright’s interest in this research came about during her undergraduate degree.
“I was exposed to a variety of critical criminological perspectives on the criminal legal system,” shared Wright. “The violence and injustice of the carceral system resonated with me. In particular, the criminalization of drugs and the people who use them stuck with me as a social injustice that could be addressed and significantly decrease the breadth of the criminal legal system’s violence.”
Since Wright’s undergraduate education, her graduate research and work experiences have focused on drug policy and legislation. Through this, she has been introduced to harm reduction programs and policies. Wright notes that harm reduction is a social movement that seeks to address criminalization of people who use drugs.
Wright’s research shows the need to end the system of prohibition and the criminalization of people who use drugs. This chiefly impacts people who use drugs and live in extreme poverty since they are predominantly the subjects of current enforcement and harm reduction efforts.
Said Wright, “Addressing the injustices of our criminal legal system benefits everyone.”
Her research consists of two case studies using participatory observations. The first case study takes place at a harm reduction program in Ottawa, and, for the second, Wright draws on her own experiences as an organizer and volunteer at Overdose Prevention Ottawa (OPO).
“I very much enjoyed conducting my fieldwork,” explained Wright. “It was a privilege to get to spend time with people accessing harm reduction services in Ottawa and learn about their lives. Working with both a health and social service agency and a grassroots community organization provided me with a nuanced understanding of how people can engage in harm reduction. Working with these two harm reduction services and staying connected with the community through events and organizing has allowed me to stay in touch with community members.”
This fieldwork is also complimented with a document analysis of legislation, policy, legislative debates and news media.
OPO was started in the summer of 2017 when founding members called the first meeting after a close friend died of an overdose. A significant number of people were overdosing and dying throughout Canada at this time and still are today.
“The first OPO meeting brought together about a dozen people who were grieving the loss of many community members and wanted to take action to prevent further unnecessary deaths,” shared Wright. “Overdose deaths are completely preventable if people know what substance they are taking and there is someone with them that can respond if they overdose.”
Wright suggests that people who use drugs and live in extreme poverty experience various harms from prohibition, including preventable death, adverse health consequences, carceral control, and regular violent encounters. Ending prohibition through decriminalization would stop the criminalization of people who use drugs. Decriminalization would also address many of these other harms, as people would not face the same risks inherent to a criminal activity
Wright has been working with Professor Stacy Douglas in the Department of Law and Legal Studies to complete this research.
“Professor Douglas’ approach has been instrumental in helping me synthesize and sculpt my research into my dissertation,” expressed Wright. “She is an attentive reader and asks poignant questions that help move the project forward. She not only helps me find the places in my work that need attention, she also provides me with the tools to address these issues. Professor Douglas’ approach to supervising focuses on supporting me as I find my footing in the shift from student to academic. She regularly tells me that her job is to “put the wind in my sails” and that she wants me “to feel empowered in my writing. I can’t say enough about how her feminist approach has benefited me.”
Wright is hoping to publish her research in peer-reviewed journals and as a monograph.
–This story was written by Taia Goguen-Garner.
Monday, January 27, 2020 in Grad Student Research, News
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