The National Day of Action Against Overdose

MONTREAL, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - On April 6th, 2023, actions will be held across Canada as part of the National Day of Action Against Overdose. To mark the day, two national associations representing people who use drugs – the Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs (CAPUD) in Canada and the Association Québécoise for the Health Promotion of People who Use Drugs (AQPSUD) in Quebec - are organizing a virtual press conference with harm reduction organizations from coast-to-coast to demand that governments take immediate action to address the overdose crisis, which is worsening daily and claiming more lives than car accidents.

Harm reduction has been scientifically proven to be successful, while the war on drugs has proven to be ineffective in solving the problems associated with substance use. Toxic unregulated substances are decimating our community in every corner of the country.

People who use drugs have a right to health and their experiential knowledge is valuable in developing tools and programs that meet their needs. Accordingly, we expect governments to support and listen to groups of people who use drugs across Canada when developing drug policies that have a real impact on their lives and health rather than wasting public funds. 

"There are more overdoses than ever, more deaths than ever. Instead of providing more resources to the community to address this public health crisis, we are forced to cut our services. We can't put out a fire with a glass of water." - Jean-François Mary, Executive Director of Cactus Montreal.

Stigma kills while safe supply saves lives.

Speakers from across Canada will share their experiences and realities during the virtual conference on April 6th, starting at 8:00 AM PST | 9:00 AM MST | 10:00 AM CST | 11:00 AM EST | 12:00 PM AST | 12:30 PM NST.

• Isabelle Fortier - Quebec, Quebec Representative of Moms Stop the Harm
• Natasha Touesnard - Nova Scotia, Executive Director of CAPUD
• Dean Wilson - British Columbia, Member of the Board of Directors of CAPUD
• Shanell Twan - Alberta, Member of the Board of Directors of CAPUD
• Frank Crichlow - Ontario, President of the Board of Directors of CAPUD
• Jean-François Mary - Quebec, Executive Director of CACTUS Montréal, Member of AQPSUD and CAPUD
• Sandhia Vadlamudy - Quebec, Executive Director of the Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec (AIDQ)
• Vincent Marcoux - Quebec, Executive Director of the Association québécoise des centres d'intervention en dépendance (AQCID)
• Matthew Bonn - Nova Scotia, Program Manager of CAPUD

You can register for the conference by clicking on the following link: Webinar Registration - Zoom

Other actions will take place from coast to coast during the day. Notably, demonstrations will be held in Montreal and Sherbrooke.

SOURCE Association Québécoise pour la promotion de la santé des personnes utilisatrices de drogues (AQPSUD)

For more information or interviews: Jean-François Mary, Executive Director of CACTUS Montréal, Member of AQPSUD and CAPUD, [phone], [email protected]; Natasha Touesnard, Executive Director of CAPUD, [phone], [email protected]