COVID-19 Dialogue Series: Empowering People who Use Drugs

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have partnered with the Global Commission on Drug Policy on a series of videos featuring discussing with members of the Global Commission and people who use drugs from all across the world. These conversations not only aim to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on communities of people who use drugs, but about the effects on drug user-led advocacy and how the pandemic has underscored why criminalisation and stigmatisation remain important barriers to dismantle.

Watch the trailer for the series here. 

View all videos in the series in a playlist here.

The videos which have been released so far:

Anton Basenko and Michael Kazatchkine discuss the impact COVID-19 is having on people who use drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Louise Vincent and Louise Arbour discuss criminalisation of people who use drugs amidst the pandemic in North America.

Ousmane Gaye and Ruth Dreifuss discuss the impact on social work and service delivery in West Africa (video in French).

Yatie Jonet and Anand Grover discuss drug policy activism and incarceration in Southeast Asia.

Happy Assan and Kgalema Motlanthe discuss needing better responses to problems faced by people who use drugs in Africa.

Angela McBride and Geoff Gallop talk about what prohibition means to them and the need for community driven advocacy.

Jordi Parramón and César Gaviria have a conversation about violence generated from drug trafficking vs violence generated from prohibition (video in Spanish).

Liz Gal and Maria Livanos Cattaui discuss drug law reform in Australia and current opportunities for change (video is in 2 parts). 

Zeeshan Ayyaz and Helen Clark discuss drug user advocacy in the Middle East and North Africa.