The 18th annual ISSDP conference 11-13 June 2025, hosted by the Drugs, Policy, and Social Change (DPSC) research group at Manchester Metropolitan University, envisions a transformative dialogue on drug policy grounded in social justice. Our aim is to foster an inclusive platform where diverse voices from affected communities, practitioners, and policymakers converge to explore and address the complexities of drug policy processes and formation.

Social justice is important in drug policy to ensure that policies are fair, equitable, and inclusive, addressing the needs of all individuals, especially marginalised and vulnerable populations. Drug policy consistently shows that the most marginalised are disproportionately impacted and that many new reforms either exacerbate gaps or fail to reduce these gaps. Novel ways of thinking about how to improve social justice in drug policy is thus a key focus for this conference.

With ISSDP's primary focus on connecting and facilitating world-leading drug policy research, the conference will also highlight novel methodological approaches to analysing drug policy and a broad range of scholarship across the drug market, incorporating use, supply, cultivation/production and trafficking as well as other sub-themes (see below).

The conference invites contributions from scholars from the Global North and the Global South. By doing so, it aims to promote a comprehensive understanding of drug policy issues worldwide and identifying ways to advance drug policy and practice.

1. Drug Markets, Production, and Supply
1.1 Dynamics of Demand and Supply: Understanding the factors that drive drug markets.
1.2 Social Supply: Examining the role of social networks in drug distribution.
1.3 Drug Cultivation and the Local Economy: Exploring the economic impact of drug cultivation on local communities.
1.4 The Role of Digital Technologies: Investigating how digital technologies including AI are transforming drug markets.
1.5 Impacts of Global Conflicts on Local Supply: Analysing how global conflicts influence local drug supply chains.
1.6 Commercialisation of Drug Markets: Examining the impact of commercialisation on drug markets.

2. Methodological Innovations
2.1 Creative Methods: Utilising innovative research methods in drug policy studies within quantitative and qualitative research.
2.2 Benefits and Barriers within Co-Design Research: Exploring collaborative research approaches.
2.3 Methods for Identifying Emerging Drug Trends: Developing techniques to detect new drug trends.
2.4 New Approaches for Estimating Benefits and Costs of Drug Use and Policy: Assessing the impact of drug policies.
2.5 New Technologies of Drug Detection: Advancements in detecting drugs.
2.6 Causal Inferences: Improving methods to establish cause-and-effect relationships in drug research.

3. Equity and Equality in Drug Policy
3.1. Interplays between National and Regional Approaches: Comparing different levels of policy implementation.
3.2 Benefits and Barriers to Social Equity Models: Evaluating equity-focused drug policies.
3.3 Marginalised Voices in Drug Policy Research: Highlighting the perspectives of marginalised groups.
3.4 Power, Politics, and Decision-Making: Understanding the political dynamics in drug policy.
3.5 Grassroots Policy Approaches: Examining community-led, lived, and living experience led policy initiatives.
3.6 Critical Debates in Evidence-Based Drug Policy: Discussing the role of evidence in shaping policy.

4. Geopolitics of Drug Policy
4.1 Global Inequalities in Economic Power, Political Influence, and Access to Resources: Addressing disparities in global drug policy.
4.2 Human Rights Concerns: Ensuring drug policies respect human rights.
4.3 Impacts of Policies on Climate Change and the Environment: Exploring the environmental effects of drug policies.
4.4 International Cooperation and Conflict in Drug Trafficking: Analysing international efforts to combat drug trafficking.
4.5 Drug Policy and Sustainable Development: Integrating drug policy with sustainable development goals.

5. Harm Reduction
5.1 Innovations in Harm-Reduction Interventions: Developing new harm-reduction strategies.
5.2 Local Responses to Emerging Risks: Addressing new drug-related risks at the local level.
5.3 Peer-Led Interventions: Empowering peer-led harm-reduction initiatives.
5.4 Creative Approaches to Drug Education and Public Awareness Campaigns: Innovating drug education and awareness.
5.5 Integrating Research into Practice: Bridging the gap between research and practical application.
5.6 Accounting for Pleasure in Safer Use Strategies: Recognising the role of pleasure in harm-reduction.
5.7 Critical Approaches to Harm-Reduction: Evaluating harm-reduction strategies critically.

6. Culture and Moralities
6.1 (De)Stigmatisation of Drug Cultures: Addressing stigma associated with drug use.
6.2 Addressing Pleasures and Functions within Policy Context: Considering the positive aspects of drug use in policy.
6.3 Negotiating Ethics in Drug Policy Research: Navigating ethical challenges in research.
6.4 Media and Political Narratives in Framing Drug Problems: Analysing how media and politics shape drug narratives.
6.5 Value Conflicts and Tensions: Exploring conflicts in values related to drug policy, e.g. prevention and recovery vs harm reduction and safer use.

Methods workshop with Professor Alex Stevens (University of Sheffield)
On the day before the conference, 10th June, there will be a one-day workshop on methods in drug policy research, hosted in Manchester by the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester. All ISSDP conference participants will be invited to attend.

ISSDP funded-scholarships
The ISSDP will sponsor at least three scholarships for the annual conference in Manchester: 1) For an early career researcher (5 years since most recent degree); 2) For a researcher from a low- or middle-income country (using the World Bank’s classification for fiscal year 2025); and 3) For a a person with lived and/or living experience of drugs, including family members. The scholarship will include a reimbursement of your registration fee and up to 1500 British pounds to cover travel and lodging. Applicants must check the scholarship option when submitting their abstract and upload a short paragraph about why they should be selected (max 250 words). The review committee will take this paragraph into account as well as the quality of the abstract.

You can enter proposals until 2025-01-17 23:55 (Europe/London), 4 days from now.