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Assistant professor and prolific researcher Alissa Greer has been awarded a Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)’s Project Grant for her research project examining drug decriminalization in British Columbia (BC).

A three-year qualitative study, the project will study how the process of BC's drug decriminalization impacts different groups of people and whether it is leading to more equitable overall health outcomes. Together with her team which includes criminology PhD students—Naomi Zakimi, Jack Farrell, and Becca Wood—and other researchers, Greer will conduct interviews with a diverse group of people who use drugs (PWUD), police officers, and policymakers across the province.

Greer's project, “Drug decriminalization in British Columbia: An equity-oriented qualitative research project", has the following main research objectives:

• Examine the impact of decriminalization on interactions between PWUD and police through an intersectional health equity lens.
• Identify supports for and barriers to health equity for PWUD within the context of decriminalization, including access to health and harm reduction services.
• Generate and share recommendations to harness the full potential of decriminalization to promote equitable health outcomes for PWUD.

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