We can view problematic substance use as a public health issue or as a criminal and moral one. Keeping the Door Open: Dialogues on Drug Use (KDO) offers evidence-based information taken from a public health approach for further exploration and discourse. These policies have been introduced in many different jurisdictions around the world and are seen as the response that offers the most possibilities for people who use drugs and for the wider community.

Problematic substance use touches many lives. Few of us have not experienced its effects either personally or through someone close to us. How we respond to problematic substance use - personally and as a society - greatly affects people who use drugs, their families and friends and our communities.

Our Vision

In KDO’s vision of the future, problematic substance use is understood to be a complex social, cultural, health, and economic issue. People who use drugs are effectively engaged in systems of care, live within inclusive communities and are given the opportunity to live healthy and dignified lives.

Our Mission

Our mission is to prevent and reduce the harms associated with problematic substance use in British Columbia and Canada, and to achieve better health and social justice outcomes for people living with addictions, HIV/AIDS and mental illness.

Who We Are

KDO is a multi-stakeholder coalition comprised of individuals and organisations representing a diverse range of groups including: institutional and community-based service providers, health authorities, research centres, charitable foundations, public policy makers, people who use drugs, their families and friends, advocates and business.

KDO serves as a resource to individuals, organisations and communities, and develops opportunities to present innovative, evidence-informed research to diverse, multi-sectoral audiences in order to reform Canadian drug policy and prevent and reduce the harms associated with problematic substance use. KDO is non-partisan, volunteer-driven and operates on a consensus model of decision making.

We invite you to join our email list to receive information about KDO events and activities. Whether you live in the Vancouver area or further afield, we encourage you to attend one of our events to contribute to the vital and expanding public dialogue about problematic substance use and drug policy.

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