About

Our Mission

Paramedics for Drug Policy Reform is a global initiative in its start-up phase, building momentum toward becoming a non-profit advocacy platform focused on amplifying the voices of paramedics in the movement for evidence-based, health-centered drug policy.  Born from the frontline realities of responding to the drug crisis, this initiative brings together paramedics, researchers, policy makers, and people who use drugs to push for policies that prioritize care over criminalization.

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​But why now?

Paramedics are often the first and sometimes only point of contact with the healthcare system for people who use drugs. In many jurisdictions, illicit drug poisonings are now the most common call type attended by paramedics, placing them at the frontline of a public health emergency. Despite this, paramedics remain largely excluded from the policy-making processes that shape how their care is delivered. This exclusion represents a significant gap, as paramedics possess unique insight into the real-world impacts of drug policy and hold a position of deep trust within the communities most affected.

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The 2024 Canadian Paramedic Career Framework recognises policy and strategic engagement as integral components of professional advancement; however, structural mechanisms to support this role are underdeveloped. In the current global political climate, which is marked by stark regional disparities with some jurisdictions advancing progressive, health-oriented reforms while others double down on punitive, prohibitionist approaches, drug policy remains polarising, reactive, and often contradictory.

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Paramedics represent an untapped resource in efforts to develop public health-focused, and rights-based reforms. Their frontline experience and systems-level perspective make them influential and necessary actors in the creation of policies that reduce harm and reflect lived experiences.