Decolonizing Substance Use

This course will explore the link between colonialism and Indigenous health and

social inequities with a focus on the toxic drug crisis and its impact on Indigenous

communities today. Participants will discuss the origins of prohibition in Canada, strategies to address stigmas associated with substance use, examine culturally

safer language, and Indigenous perspectives on harm reduction.

Main learning ideas:

• Identify the link between substance use harm and prohibition policies in

  Canada

• Discuss the root causes of addiction and substance use among Indigenous

  peoples

• Discuss Indigenous perspectives on harm reduction, de-stigmatization, and

  compassionate responses to the toxic drug crisis