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Hear Us, See Us, Respect Us: Respecting the expertise of people who use drugs

Co-sponsored by the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition and the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs (with funding from Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addiction Program), public health practitioners and organizations serving People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) can use the results of this national community-based research project to guide how they engage with PWUD in equitable and respectful ways at all levels of their work. Research methods used to elicit equity-driven practices included a review of the literature, surveys, and interviews, with deep engagement of PWUD at all stages of the project.

Importantly, this guidance is based on the voices, insights, and expertise of PWUD, specifically those who use illegal drugs, have worked in harm reduction settings, and/or who have participated in drug policy events. The perspectives of people who work at organizations which convene events focused on harm reduction and drug policy is also highlighted.

A driving force behind this initiative was the need, identified by the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs, for additional resources on meaningful and equitable ways to engage PWUD in decisions that directly affect their lives. Report authors note that the phrase “nothing about us without us” is a guiding principle for their work, and is reflected in their best and emerging practices. These practices are intended to provide:  

  1. Guidance for organizations: on ways to best integrate and adapt existing policies, programs, and procedures to better meet the needs of PWUD, and which create space for PWUD to lead the design, development, and implementation of organization and government policies, procedures, and practices.
  2. Guidance for PWUD: on ways to advocate with organizations serving PWUD for deep and meaningful engagement in all aspects of harm reduction work that impact their lives.

Examples of recommendations and practices that the report presents include:

  • Ensure that PWUD working as harm reduction workers feel respected and valued (e.g., provide a living wage, support use of collaborative teamwork, incorporate expertise of PWUD into decision making)
  • Maintain PWUD expertise when facing funding constraints (e.g., funders and organizations to invest in PWUD expertise through dedicated funding lines, do not automatically assume that PWUD should be the first people to be laid off)
  • Recognize the trauma and burnout experienced by PWUD who are on the frontlines of the “war on drugs” (e.g., facilitate access to appropriate psychological supports for PWUD workers)

Use this resource to:

  • facilitate organization and team discussions on respectful and equitable ways to engage the expertise of PWUD in policies, programs, and practices;
  • guide organization and team action by providing concrete examples on how to engage and respect the expertise of PWUD in the creation and implementation of policies, procedures, and practices.

 

Alignment with NCCDH work:

Understanding best and promising practices to engage with equity-denied communities such as PWUD, including harm reduction approaches and sharing of power aligns with NCCDH work.

Our Equity in Action Stories provide practical examples of public health collaboration with service providers who provide equity-driven programming for PWUD:

NCCDH has also hosted webinars that focus on community engagement to achieve health equity.

 

See other resources on substance use, public health, and health equity.


Touesnard, N., Patten, S., McCrindle, J., Nurse, M., Vanderschaeghe, S., Noel, W., Edward, J., & Blanchet- Gagnon, M.A., (2021). Hear Us, See Us, Respect Us: Respecting the expertise of people who use drugs (3.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5514066

Tags: Collaboration, Community engagement, Substance use, Public Health Organization, Document, Report / Document