Background
Law Students for Decriminalization & Harm Reduction, coloquially known as “Decrim” and founded in 2017, is a group of UBC law students passionate about the rights and well-being of drug users and sex workers. Our public education and advocacy work is based in collaboration with community organizations, including the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), legal advocates, such as Pivot Legal Society and the Canadian Bar Association’s Social Justice Section, and other student groups at UBC, including the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP).
Activities
We currently operate a legal clinic through the Law Students Legal Advice Program (LSLAP) and PACE Society to provide free legal advice for sex workers and co-host conversations about drug policy with CSSDP. Last year, we also organized an Overdose Response Training session for our members, a tour of the Insite Supervised Injection Site, and collaborated with PACE Society to offer training on sex work stigma. In the upcoming year, we intend to continue hosting the legal clinic with PACE Society and advocating for the inclusion of harm reduction content within the legal curriculum.
Issue Areas
Eradicating the stigma that sex workers and drug users face is central to our mission. Beyond this advocacy, our members are acutely aware that we operate on the stolen lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples without permission. As work around decriminalization and harm reduction is deeply tied to systemic racism, colonization, and displacement, we bring an anti-carceral, community-based lens to discussions around police and prison abolition; these institutions are steeped in anti-Black and anti-Indigenous practices and histories and our goal is support affected communities while advocating for systemic overhaul. Currently, some of our members have been supporting the Hogan’s Alley Georgia-Dunsmuir Viaduct Blockade, in solidarity with the former Namegans Nation 2.0 encampment at Crab Park.
Process & Positions
As a non-hierarchical, consensus-based group, members are invited to start their own projects and collaborate with other groups on related issues, as this collaboration is crucial to meaningful solidarity with marginalized groups facing access to justice issues, given the many intersections between them. Everyone is invited to join and one doesn’t have to have a role within our group to organize events and spearhead projects, although we are looking to fill the following positions by appointment:
- Coordinators (2) : Merran Herget & Quinn Candler
- Treasurer : TBD
- Communications Coordinator : TBD
- Outreach Coordinator : TBD
- External Coordinator : TBD
- Drug Policy Campaigner(s) : TBD
- Sex Work Policy Campaigner(s) : TBD
- Policing Campaigner(s) : TBD
- Pivot Legal Society Board Representative : TBD
Our social media accounts serve to disseminate public education resources on evidence-based policy and engage in anti-stigma campaigns, including our annual photo campaign to end violence against sex workers (2018, 2019). Being part of our network also provides ample opportunity to connect with upper-year students, lawyers, and community organizations working on social and legal issues around sex work and drug policy. Some of our upper-year members have completed accredited research projects in these areas and mentor first year students on directing their J.D. in this way. Through building networks in the drug policy and sex work communities, our members have also found opportunities to volunteer with lawyers litigating in these areas as well.
We look forward to “meeting you” on Clubs Day! Please fill out this form to join and stay in touch with us (https://linktr.ee/decrimubc):
Sign-Up Form | Facebook Page | Facebook Group | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | Email
In solidarity,
Merran & Quinn
decrimubc@gmail.com