Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users
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The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users or VANDU is a not-for-profit organization[2] and advocacy group based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The group believes that all drug users should have their own rights and freedoms. The group's members have been actively involved in lobbying for support of Insite, North America's first safe injection site, located in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.[3]
Founded | 1997 |
---|---|
Legal status | Non-profit organization |
Focus | Drug users rights, Drug policy reform, Drug policy, Human rights, Harm reduction. |
Area served | Downtown Eastside, Vancouver, Canada |
Executive Director | Brittany Graham[1] |
Website | www.vandu.org |
Its board of directors consists entirely of current and former drug addicts.[4] It was co-founded by Ann Livingston and Bud Osborn.[2] Livingston had previously established a short-lived injection site called "Back Alley" on Powell Street in 1995.[5]
The group received a grant in 2022 from the city to perform street cleaning, but the contract was rescinded for not performing the work and instead, using the grant funds for other purposes.