Jake Pesaruk

Jake is a freelance reporter of all trades, including health, politics and investigative features. He specializes in finding the human element that makes a story tick. He lives in Canada.

Appeal Dismissal Means New Alberta SCS Barriers Now Take Effect

Alberta harm reductionists are reeling as their appeal over an injunction against a new provincial supervised consumption sites mandate was…

February 1, 2022

Alberta Legal Battle Against New SCS Barriers Is Going to the Wire

Alberta, Canada, remains a battleground for harm reduction rights. This past August, a coalition of local organizations launched a lawsuit…

January 21, 2022

Toronto Will Make Drug Decriminalization Request, But Fears Remain

In a publicly broadcast meeting on December 6, Toronto’s Board of Health voted unanimously to move forward with an exemption…

December 7, 2021

Global Drug Policy Index Shines Light on Harm Reduction, Human Rights

Following the bouncing ball of international drug policies is an almost impossible task, as every variable imaginable can impact the…

November 15, 2021

Ottawa Decriminalization Moves Accelerate Amid Shift to Meth

Ottawa may not have advanced as far as some neighboring municipalities—like Toronto or Montreal—when it comes to formal proposals for…

November 3, 2021

Toronto’s Bid to Decriminalize Drugs Hangs in the Balance

Toronto is the latest Canadian municipality seeking to end the criminalization of drug use. The city’s board of health voted…

October 7, 2021

Alberta’s Battle Over Harm Reduction Is Heating Up

The consistent hostility of Alberta’s government toward the province’s regulated supervised consumption sites (SCS) has become a fixture in the…

September 16, 2021

FDA’s Suspected Push for Global Kratom Ban Rattles Advocates

Despite Thailand’s recent legalization of kratom—swiftly following the country’s decriminalization earlier this year—international kratom advocacy’s momentum is facing stern resistance…

September 1, 2021

“An Unprecedented Achievement Anywhere”—Thailand’s Decriminalization of Kratom

Native to Southeast Asia, kratom is a plant and herbal medicine with mild opioid and stimulant-like properties. It was held…

July 21, 2021

Alberta’s Discredited Anti-SCS Report Still Raised Across North America

Governments wield power over the implementation of harm reduction services, but their impacts aren’t limited to their own jurisdictions. For…

May 13, 2021