Announcing Our New Executive Director – Scott Bernstein

September 1st, 2021

MAPS Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Bernstein as our new Executive Director.

A lawyer based in Vancouver, BC, Scott brings over 13 years’ experience in national and international drug policy reform. Prior to joining MAPS Canada, Scott served as Director of Policy for the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, where he led the organization’s work on the legal regulation of drugs, decriminalization, safe supply, and international drug policy.

In his own legal practice and for the Vancouver-based non-profit Pivot Legal Society, Scott has participated in strategic litigation focused on advancing human rights of people who use drugs, including challenging municipal anti-harm reduction bylaws; advocating for access to prescription heroin treatment; and defending Insite, North America’s first sanctioned injection site, in the Supreme Court of Canada and lower courts.

Prior to joining CDPC, Scott was a program officer with the Global Drug Policy Program of Open Society Foundations in New York. There, he supported collaboration within a global reform movement, targeted at the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session, through grant-making, policy expertise and strategic planning, as well as by supporting a nascent drug policy reform movement in Africa. 

Scott holds an MSc in environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.

“We are thrilled to welcome Scott to MAPS Canada,” says Board Chair Eesmyal Santos-Brault. “Scott’s breadth of experience in drug policy reform and his commitment to the human rights for people who use drugs are invaluable to helping MAPS Canada achieve its goals. We look forward to working with Scott, our staff, and volunteers as we continue to advocate for drug policy reform, advance scientific research, and offer public education in support of safe, legal access to psychedelic medicine.”

CONTACT

Scott Bernstein, Executive Director, MAPS Canada, scott@mapscanada.org

Eesmyal Santos-Brault, Board Chair, MAPS Canada, eesmyal@mapscanada.org

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