Drug Policy Alternatives
social justice & public health
The mission of Drug Policy Alternatives is to contribute to the world-wide movement to change the historically unjust and ineffective approaches to drug policy. DPA uses evidence-informed analysis and principles of social justice to inform and encourage active public participation in this movement.

Mike DeVillaer
mike@drugpolicyalt.ca

Now Available!
or ask at your local book store:
ISBN: 978-1-55164-795-1
In the Beginning…
Issue #26 August 2023
A classic stereotype of drug users is that they use drugs as an escape from the stresses and hardships of life. Entertainers Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin and Tom Waits have all satirized this notion. Williams is probably the most often cited with his quip…
“Reality is just a crutch for people who can’t handle drugs.”
Upcoming Presentations
“Five Years of Legal Cannabis: What Have We Learned?” [Panelist]
Homewood Research Institute, Guelph Ontario.
September 14, 2023.
“Cannabis Legalization in Canada: Is it a Safe Supply?”
Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences Grand Rounds, McMaster University. Hamilton Ontario.
September 27, 2023.
“Legalizing a Recreational Drug: Cannabis in Canada as a Case Study”.
Innovations in the Science of Cannabis Conference, McMaster University, Hamilton Ontario.
October 12 2023.
“Legalizing A Recreational Drug: Cannabis in Canada as a Case Study”
Canadian Society for Addiction Medicine Scientific Conference. Victoria, British Columbia.
October 19, 2023.
“Surprising Stories About Cannabis Legalization in Canada”
Mental Health and Addiction Program Rounds, St. Josephs Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton Ontario.
November 2, 2023.
“The Tobacco Industry Playbook in Other Industries”
Master of Global Affairs Program, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, Toronto Ontario.
November 23 2023.
Recent Media Coverage for DPA
“On August 25, I did 14 interviews with the CBC for my new book “Buzz Kill: The Corporatization of Cannabis”. The interviews were broadcast live from Toronto, Montreal, St. John’s, Halifax, Sudbury, Winnipeg, and Regina. They were recorded for later broadcast in Charlottetown, Moncton, London, Calgary, Victoria, Kelowna, and Whitehorse.”
“Four years after legalization, illegal cannabis market still thriving in Canada”
National Post, Oct 17, 2022. https://nationalpost.com/cannabis/four-years-after-legalization-illegal-cannabis-market-still-thriving
“Health Canada begins it’s long-awaited review of the Cannabis Act”.
Canada Tonight, CBC News Network, September 22, 2022. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2076061763667.