Leadership Group: Ashley Smoke (Ontario Network of People who Use Drugs (ONPUD)), Leticia Mizon (ONPUD), Cassandra Smith (ONPUD), Breklyn Bertozzi (Canadian AIDS Society)
The Four Pillar Model project is a community-led initiative that aims to centre the voices of people with living and lived expertise of drug use (PWLLE), and build their capacity to engage in drug strategy development and decision making processes by enhancing their understanding of policy models such as the Four Pillar Model, an evidence-based approach based on four principles (Harm Reduction, Prevention, Treatment, and Enforcement) commonly used to guide federal and provincial substance use strategies. The initiative brings together PWLLE leadership through the Ontario Network of People who use Drugs (ONPUD) with key partners, such as the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN), Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE), and Canadian AIDS Society (CADS), to create more inclusive, informed, and effective community-driven solutions.
Through a series of workshops and stakeholder engagement sessions, a report outlining the findings has been developed. Participants consistently identified enforcement as overrepresented and harmful, while harm reduction remains underfunded and politically unstable despite strong evidence of its effectiveness. Prevention and treatment services were described as fragmented, inequitable, and frequently misaligned with the realities of people who use drugs. Across all pillars, stigma and criminalization continue to undermine health equity, dignity, and access to care.
The project calls for a fundamental reorientation of drug policy toward health, human rights, and community care, and has provided a series of recommendations.
Read the full report HERE.