International Drug Users Day
CALL FOR 10 SMALL GRANTS: International Drug Users Day 2025, “We are Here! We are Proud! Unshaken, Unbroken and Loud”
The International Drug Users Day marked an important milestone in the drug user’s rights movement, where the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD), which was founded in 2006 in Vancouver, Canada, was formally launched in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 1 November 2008.
Every year, on 1 November, people who use drugs all over the world celebrate our history and affirm our rights. The International Drug Users Day provides a platform where drug user activists and our community can confidently and proudly advocate for the health, human rights, and dignity of people who use drugs globally, regionally, and at the country level. The International Drug Users Day is a celebration of the accomplishments of our diverse, vibrant communities, while also acknowledging that our work is more critical than ever.
International Drug Users Day 2025
Under the theme “We are Here! We are Proud! Unshaken, Unbroken, and Loud”, this year, we continue to reaffirm our existence and persistence. In the face of the ongoing and widespread criminalisation, stigma, discrimination, and the growing anti-rights backlash, including the rollback of drug decriminalisation, such as in Oregon, the United States, and British Columbia, Canada, we continue to stand tall and refuse to be erased. The current global political and funding crisis has shaken our community, but it has not broken us. Instead, it has revealed our resilience: rising from the ashes, looking out for one another, and refusing to be silenced. We carry our dignity with pride, demanding healthcare, social justice, and human rights: from harm reduction services to access to housing, from safety to justice and freedom. We build solidarity across local, national, regional, and global spaces. Together, with one united voice, we challenge the status quo and push forward with our common goal: ending the prohibition and criminalisation of people who use drugs and the drugs we use.
This year, INPUD would like to celebrate the International Drug Users Day 2025 and recognise 10 (ten) drug user-led networks/organisations with a small grant of US$500.