The Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation (CDPE), formerly the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (ICSDP), welcomes you to our new and improved website! The CDPE has undergone several changes to build our organization and expand the scope of our work in new and exciting ways. With so many changes underway, we felt it was time for a rebrand to more clearly represent what it is we do.

The CDPE, since its initial inception in 2010 under the name of the ICSDP, has been committed to improving community health and safety by advocating for effective and evidence-based policy responses to substance use. We have done so by partnering with government, affected communities, and civil society to launch widespread education and engagement campaigns. We have a long history of producing accessible, relevant, and high impact research and knowledge translation (KT) materials that have made significant contributions to the knowledge base on health and social issues related to substance use. Recognition of our vast contributions to advancing illegal drug policy has positioned the CDPE as a sought-after source of expertise in this field.

While the mission of the CDPE remains the same, we have broadened our portfolio. If you’ve spent time browsing our website, you may have noticed in particular the many new concurrent projects we are leading including:

• The launch of a network of drug checking services in Toronto, Ontario to address overdose arising from the use of toxic street drugs;
• A scientific evaluation of the health and social impacts of integrated supervised injection services in Toronto, Ontario;
• An international scientific study to prevent entry into injection drug use, dubbed PRIMER; and,
• The Drug Policy Metrics Map, an online tool that allows users to compare the metrics that countries use to evaluate their drug policies alongside the drug-related outcomes they are experiencing.

We are excited about these projects and believe they have the potential to yield valuable insights into understanding and shaping responses to substance use.

We are thrilled to welcome new members to our team: Karen McDonald who will act as our Operations Manager, Dr. Ayden Scheim who will act as our Research Manager, Dr. Claudia Rafful-Loera who will act as our Senior Policy Analyst, and Ruby Sniderman who will act as our Research Coordinator. The CDPE continues to operate under the leadership of Executive Director, Dr. Dan Werb and Nazlee Maghsoudi continues to provide expertise as Knowledge Translation Manager.

We thank you for your ongoing support and interest in our work to inform drug policy based on scientifically validated and credible evidence.

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