Victoria spent her teenage years battling heroin addiction. During that time, she learned firsthand that the things her and her family cared about most – like finding treatment that worked, and keeping Victoria alive in the meantime – didn’t align with the Canadian government’s drug policy priorities. 

Exclusively for the ICSDP, Victoria shares her personal story of living through overdose and addiction, and explains why we must prioritize health indicators in order to capture the real impacts of drugs and drug policy on communities.

Read more about this podcast on the ICSDP Blog and Huffington Post channel!

ICSDP Blog: http://www.icsdp.org/former_teenager_with_heroin_addiction_says_measuring_health_impacts_must_be_central_to_evaluating_drug_policy

Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/international-centre-for-science-in-drug-policy/drug-policy-addiction_b_9579074.html


First Hand: How Drug Policy Impacts Teenage Heroin Addiction

The Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation (CDPE) strives to improve community health and safety by conducting research and outreach on best practices in drug policy. We work collaboratively with governments, affected communities, and civil society to guide effective and evidence-based policy responses to substance use.