Substance Using Women: How Federal Drug Policy Misses the Mark

DOI: 10.5176/2251-2403_PSSIR32

Authors: Gemma Hunting, MA

Abstract:

Substance use policy often frames substance use as a problem of the individual thus ignoring the complexities of social location. This paper examines how the criminalization of ‘illicit drugs’ in Canada and the restrictions imposed on access to prescription drugs for First Nations and Inuit people intersect to shape understandings of and responses to women who use substances in ways that maintain health and social disadvantage. This analysis demonstrates the potential of intersectional approaches to inform substance use policy internationally in ways that improve health equity.

Keywords: substance use; policy; social class; intersectionality