With so much public attention being placed on the overdose crisis and marijuana reform, the needs of people who use stimulant drugs has been overlooked. The aim of this conference is to engage participants in conversation about stimulant use, including motivations for use, epidemiology of use, related risks, and strategies for mitigating these risks. We would also like to expand the harm reduction conversation beyond syringe access to include interventions for non-injection drug use and to explore why the harm reduction conversation about stimulants has been thus limited in the past. This conference’s intended audience and attendees will consist of harm reduction providers, social service providers, researchers, policy makers, the LGBTQ community, and people who use stimulants.

Tentative Schedule and Speakers:

8:00-9:00am

Registration & Sign In

9:00-9:10am

Welcome/Opening Remarks -

Lindsay LaSalle, Senior Staff Attorney, Drug Policy Alliance

Jules Netherland PhD, Director of Office of Academic Engagement, Drug Policy Alliance

Ricky Bluthenthal PhD, Professor, Kent School of Medicine, University of Southern California

9:10-9:25am: Overview of Epidemiology/Prevalence/Trends in US and abroad -

Thomas Freese PhD, Co-Director, UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs

9:25-9:40am: Stimulant use and its public health impact in California -

Gary Tsai MD, Medical Director and Science Officer, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health

9:45-11:15am: PANEL- People who use Stimulants: A Diverse Population

Moderator: Jules Netherland, Drug Policy Alliance

Kaston Anderson-Carpenter PhD, Michigan State University
Ricky Bluthenthal PhD, University of Southern California
Jennifer Lorvick PhD, RTI International
Elise Szabo, Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Melynda Mindy Vincent, Utah Harm Reduction Coalition

11:15-11:30am: Break – coffee/tea/snacks

11:30-11:45am: Overview of harm reduction strategies in US and abroad-

Katie Stone, Research Analyst, Harm Reduction International (via video recording)

11:45-1:15pm: PANEL- Harm reduction interventions with people who use stimulants

Moderator: Sheila P. Vakharia, Drug Policy Alliance

Brandie Wilson, Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction
Kat Humphries, Harm Reduction Action Center
Ryan McNeil PhD, University of British Columbia
Anna Palmer and Peter Higgs, Burnett Institute (via video recording)
Shilo Murphy, People's Harm Reduction Alliance
Liz Evans, Washington Heights Corner Project & New York Harm Reduction Educators

1:15-2:00pm: LUNCH PROVIDED FOR ALL ATTENDEES

2:00-3:30pm: PANEL- Treatment Options for People who Use Stimulants

Moderator: Lindsay LaSalle, Drug Policy Alliance

Stimulant Use: Harm Reduction, Treatment, and Future Directions