On a mild February afternoon in 2014, a pastor named Chris from the Maritimes sat outside his Jeep in a park near his home by the water, and smoked a joint. There was a sense of experimentation, curiosity even. Having never smoked weed as a teenager, Chris barely knew what he was doing. He got […] More »

For over a century, criminalized drugs have been demonized, as were the people who used and sold them. Criminalized drugs have long been linked to marginalized and racialized groups, who have been depicted as outsiders to the nation threatening moral Canadians. Politicians, law enforcement, media and vocal spokespeople fuelled drug scares and circulated fabrications and […] More »

The year 2017 will be remembered as the year Canadian media finally got serious about reporting the deadly epidemic of opioid addiction in this country. The Globe and Mail, the CBC, the Toronto Star, Maclean’s, the Huffington Post, and many other outlets have devoted not just isolated stories but aggressive ongoing coverage of what is […] More »