Donald MacPherson, Simon Fraser University

Research

drug policy safe supply civic leadership and participation drug user values community safety government and health sector engagement

Latest papers

Exploring models of safer supply provision: A qualitative study on the preferences of people who access the unregulated drug market.
The International journal on drug policy · 2025
Reprint of: The regulation project: Tools for engaging the public in the legal regulation of drugs.
The International journal on drug policy · 2021 · senior author
The regulation project: Tools for engaging the public in the legal regulation of drugs.
The International journal on drug policy · 2020 · senior author

All 6 publications

Latest funding

Imagine Safer Supply: Drug User Participation and Leadership in Canadian Drug Policy
SSHRC · 2022 · Principal investigator
$49,865

All 1 grants and awards

6 publications.

01

Exploring models of safer supply provision: A qualitative study on the preferences of people who access the unregulated drug market.

Hutchison A, Beck McGreevy P, Enns B, Guerra-Alejos BC, Henderson N, Urbanoski K, Howley E, MacPherson D, Xavier JC, Buxton JA, Pauly B

The International journal on drug policy2025

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104920 PMID: 40684615

02

Reprint of: The regulation project: Tools for engaging the public in the legal regulation of drugs.

Bernstein SE, Amirkhani E, Werb D, MacPherson D

The International journal on drug policy2021Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103279 PMID: 34024456

03

The regulation project: Tools for engaging the public in the legal regulation of drugs.

Bernstein SE, Amirkhani E, Werb D, MacPherson D

The International journal on drug policy2020Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102949 PMID: 33049592

04

Erratum to: Telling our stories: heroin-assisted treatment and SNAP activism in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

Boyd S, Murray D, SNAP, MacPherson D

Harm reduction journal2017

DOI: 10.1186/s12954-017-0161-2 PMID: 28599672

05

Telling our stories: heroin-assisted treatment and SNAP activism in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

Boyd S, Murray D, SNAP, MacPherson D

Harm reduction journal2017

DOI: 10.1186/s12954-017-0152-3 PMID: 28521781

06

Illicit drug use and harms, and related interventions and policy in Canada: A narrative review of select key indicators and developments since 2000.

Fischer B, Murphy Y, Rudzinski K, MacPherson D

The International journal on drug policy2016Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2015.08.007 PMID: 26359046

Imagine Safer Supply: Drug User Participation and Leadership in Canadian Drug Policy

Principal investigatorSSHRC2022Connection Grants

Principal investigators: MacPherson, Donald A.

Keywords: drug policy; safe supply; civic leadership and participation; drug user values; community safety; government and health sector engagement

$49,865

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

Other Political Science
Social, Prevention and Health Policy Research
School of Public Health & Social Policy
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.

Benedikt Fischer

Social, Prevention and Health Policy Research

1 shared papers, latest 2016

Karen Urbanoski

School of Public Health & Social Policy

1 shared papers, latest 2025

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 SSHRC grant from 2022

Subject: Prospective PhD student: drug policy Dear Professor MacPherson, 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 "Exploring models of safer supply provision: A qualitative study on the preferences of people who access the unregulated drug market." (2025), 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 SSHRC-funded project "Imagine Safer Supply: Drug User Participation and Leadership in Canadian Drug Policy" (2022), 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]

Donald MacPherson