The International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) Conference

The 18th annual ISSDP conference, hosted by the Drugs, Policy, and Social Change (DPSC) research group at Manchester Metropolitan University, envisions a transformative dialogue on drug policy grounded in social justice.

Our aim is to foster an inclusive platform where diverse voices from affected communities, practitioners, and policymakers converge to explore and address the complexities of drug policy processes and formation.

Social justice is important in drug policy to ensure that policies are fair, equitable, and inclusive, addressing the needs of all individuals, especially marginalised and vulnerable populations. Drug policy consistently shows that the most marginalised are disproportionately impacted and that many new reforms either exacerbate gaps or fail to reduce these gaps. Novel ways of thinking about how to improve social justice in drug policy is thus a key focus for this conference, inclusive of those with lived and living experience.

The six key themes for abstract submission are as follows: Drug Markets, Production, and Supply; Methodological Innovations; Equity and Equality in Drug Policy; Geopolitics of Drug Policy; Harm Reduction; Cultures and Moralities.