The University of Costa Rica’s School of Pharmacy has invited an internationally renowned export on market regulation of cannabis, Julio Calzada, to lead a free conference on the topic.

Calzada is a Uruguayan sociologist and politician with over 30 years experience in health promotion projects notably those designed to reduce harm in the use of illicit drugs. Such programs, known as “harm reduction” include legalizing and regulating illicit drugs to increase control and safety of their use, and also includes programs such as needle exchanges, condom distribution, drug rehabilitation, and health education directed at drug users and their partners.

The event is also made possible thanks to support from the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation and the Costa Rican Association for the Study and Intervention on Drugs (ACEID), which has started to promote and implement a harm reduction approach to drug use in Costa Rica.

From 2011 to 2015, Calzada led the Uruguayan National Drug Board’s successful reformulation of its drug policies, including the development of the legal framework for regulating cannabis.

The event is free and open to the public, and will be held Tuesday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the School of Pharmacy at the UCR San Pedro campus.

For more information, contact ACEID at [email protected].