Alissa Greer, Simon Fraser University

Research

drug policy overdose crisis health policy munincipal and local governance participation evidence case study Decriminalization

Latest papers

Canadian news media reporting on involuntary substance use treatment and its evidence, 2020-2025: "At the cutting edge of debate, science and policy".
The International journal on drug policy · 2026 · senior author
Learning from the Drug Policy Curriculum: People Who Use Drugs Policing in the Context of Decriminalization.
Contemporary drug problems · 2026 · senior author
Negotiating drug use and work: a poststructural analysis of construction workers who use drugs amid decriminalization.
The International journal on drug policy · 2026 · senior author

All 26 publications

Latest funding

Drug decriminalization in British Columbia: An equity-oriented qualitative research project
CIHR · 2023 · Nominated PI
$439,874
Learning from the past to inform the future: A retrospective case study of the Four Pillars Drug Strategy and drug policy implementation in Vancouver, British Columbia
SSHRC · 2021 · Principal investigator
$92,898
A mixed methods evaluation of safer supply initiatives to reduce illicit drug overdose in BC
CIHR · 2021 · Co-investigator
$2,050,200

All 3 grants and awards

26 publications.

01

Canadian news media reporting on involuntary substance use treatment and its evidence, 2020-2025: "At the cutting edge of debate, science and policy".

Goodyear T, Mneina M, Schlissel J, Long V, Shaffer B, Russolillo A, Jenkins E, Slemon A, Gagnon M, Greer A

The International journal on drug policy2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105486 PMID: 42727133

02

Learning from the Drug Policy Curriculum: People Who Use Drugs Policing in the Context of Decriminalization.

Zakimi N, Wood B, Santos R, Greer A

Contemporary drug problems2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1177/00914509251396996 PMID: 42534491

03

Negotiating drug use and work: a poststructural analysis of construction workers who use drugs amid decriminalization.

Zakimi N, Greer A

The International journal on drug policy2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105336 PMID: 42143788

04

What's a policy without trust? How the legacy of policing shapes experiences of drug decriminalization in British Columbia.

Greer A, Wood B, Zakimi N, Scher BD

Social science & medicine (1982)2026First author

DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119371 PMID: 42139862

05

The short-term impacts of the decriminalization of personal possession of select illegal drugs on drug possession criminal incidents and criminal cases in British Columbia, Canada (2013 to 2023).

Abdul SA, Wu E, Jiang H, Russell C, Ali F, Rehm J, Butler A, Elton-Marshall T, Henderson I, Gomes T, Greer A, Kinniburgh B, Le Foll B, Palis H, Patenaude S, Imtiaz S

The International journal on drug policy2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105261 PMID: 41985344

06

Public drug use, policing, and the limits of decriminalization in British Columbia: A mixed methods study.

Wood B, Zakimi N, Fraser M, Loewen OK, Fajber K, Kinniburgh B, Burmeister C, Henderson I, Greer A

The International journal on drug policy2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105250 PMID: 41887037

07

Doubts and disconnection: Police reflections on drug decriminalization in British Columbia in the first year of implementation.

Butler A, Ferencz S, Agnew-Pauley W, Russell C, Ali F, Greer A

The International journal on drug policy2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105211 PMID: 41740192

08

Access to health and harm reduction services during drug decriminalization in British Columbia, Canada: a mixed-method study.

Scher BD, Wood B, Zakimi N, Fraser M, Crabtree A, Fajber K, Kinniburgh B, Loewen OK, Greer A

BMC public health2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-26978-1 PMID: 41888786

09

The decriminalization of illicit drugs in British Columbia: a national evaluation protocol.

Russell C, Ali F, Imtiaz S, Butler A, Greer A, Rehm J, Decriminalization Evaluation Research Group

BMC public health2024

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-20336-9 PMID: 39425094

10

Working in a relational way is everything: Perceptions of power and value in a drug policy-making network.

Zakimi N, Bouchard M, Ritter A, Greer A

Health research policy and systems2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1186/s12961-024-01225-4 PMID: 39363183

Drug decriminalization in British Columbia: An equity-oriented qualitative research project

Nominated PICIHR2023Project Grant

Principal investigators: Greer, Alissa

Keywords: Decriminalization; Drug Policy; Health Equity; Health Systems; Policing; Qualitative; Social Determinants Of Health

$439,874

Learning from the past to inform the future: A retrospective case study of the Four Pillars Drug Strategy and drug policy implementation in Vancouver, British Columbia

Principal investigatorSSHRC2021Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Greer, Alissa

Keywords: drug policy; overdose crisis; health policy; munincipal and local governance; participation; evidence; case study

$92,898

A mixed methods evaluation of safer supply initiatives to reduce illicit drug overdose in BC

Co-investigatorCIHR2021Project Grant

Principal investigators: Urbanoski, Karen A; Barker, Brittany M; Nosyk, Bohdan P; Pauly, Bernadette M; Slaunwhite, Amanda K

Keywords: Epidemiology; Harm Reduction; Health Policy; Indigenous Health; Mixed Methods; Overdose; Safer Supply; Substance Use

$2,050,200

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

School of Population and Public Health
School of Nursing
Department of Criminology
Social & Behavioural Health Sciences Division
MacIsaac School of Nursing
Department of Family & Community Medicine
Public and population health
Other

Co-authors at Simon Fraser University, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Amanda Butler

Department of Criminology

5 shared papers, latest 2026

Farihah Ali

Social & Behavioural Health Sciences Division

4 shared papers, latest 2026

Heather Palis

School of Population and Public Health

2 shared papers, latest 2026

Skye Barbic

School of Population and Public Health

2 shared papers, latest 2022

Angela Russolillo

MacIsaac School of Nursing

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Huan jiang

Biostatistics Division

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Allie Slemon

School of Nursing

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Bernadette Pauly

School of Nursing

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Daniel Werb

Public and population health

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Tara Gomes

Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Bernard Le Foll

Department of Family & Community Medicine

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Jane Buxton

Department of Emergency Medicine

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Amanda Slaunwhite

School of Population and Public Health

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Trevor Goodyear

School of Nursing

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Kora DeBeck

Faculty

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2023

Subject: Prospective PhD student: drug policy Dear Professor Greer, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Canadian news media reporting on involuntary substance use treatment and its evidence, 2020-2025: "At the cutting edge of debate, science and policy"." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "Drug decriminalization in British Columbia: An equity-oriented qualitative research project" (2023), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]

Alissa Greer

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Canadian news media reporting on involuntary substance use treatment and its evidence, 2020-2025: "At the cutting edge of debate, science and policy".

Learning from the Drug Policy Curriculum: People Who Use Drugs Policing in the Context of Decriminalization.

Negotiating drug use and work: a poststructural analysis of construction workers who use drugs amid decriminalization.

What's a policy without trust? How the legacy of policing shapes experiences of drug decriminalization in British Columbia.

The short-term impacts of the decriminalization of personal possession of select illegal drugs on drug possession criminal incidents and criminal cases in British Columbia, Canada (2013 to 2023).

Public drug use, policing, and the limits of decriminalization in British Columbia: A mixed methods study.

Doubts and disconnection: Police reflections on drug decriminalization in British Columbia in the first year of implementation.

Access to health and harm reduction services during drug decriminalization in British Columbia, Canada: a mixed-method study.

The decriminalization of illicit drugs in British Columbia: a national evaluation protocol.

Working in a relational way is everything: Perceptions of power and value in a drug policy-making network.

Drug decriminalization in British Columbia: An equity-oriented qualitative research project

Learning from the past to inform the future: A retrospective case study of the Four Pillars Drug Strategy and drug policy implementation in Vancouver, British Columbia

A mixed methods evaluation of safer supply initiatives to reduce illicit drug overdose in BC

Frequent collaborators

Amanda Butler

Farihah Ali

Scott Macdonald

Heather Palis

Martin Bouchard

Skye Barbic

Angela Russolillo

Huan jiang

Allie Slemon

Bernadette Pauly

Daniel Werb

Tara Gomes

Bernard Le Foll

Jane Buxton

Amanda Slaunwhite

Trevor Goodyear

Emily Jenkins

Kora DeBeck