Justice as Health: Drug Prohibition, Racial Inequities and Canada’s Black Justice Strategy

Join us for the 2025 Laupacis Lecture featuring Dr. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, a leading scholar in sociology at the University of Toronto, as he explores the intersections of race, drug policy and systemic injustice in Canada. Beginning with the history and enduring consequences of cannabis prohibition, this lecture examines how legalization failed to deliver racial equity—particularly for Black communities—and considers emerging disparities in the context of psychedelic policy. Drawing on original research, the talk then broadens to examine racial inequities across policing, courts and corrections. It concludes with a discussion of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, highlighting its focus on the social determinants of justice as a framework for advancing meaningful and lasting change. This webinar, part of Medical Grand Rounds, will honour Dr. Andreas Laupacis for his 12-year tenure as Executive Director of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute (LKSKI) and will be moderated by Dr. Andrea Tricco, current Executive Director of the LKSKI.

Learning Objectives

1. To assess the historical and contemporary impact of drug prohibition—particularly cannabis—on racialized communities in Canada, with a focus on the uneven outcomes of legalization and emerging parallels in the context of psychedelics.

2. To evaluate how systemic racial inequities manifest across the Canadian criminal justice system—including policing, courts, and corrections—and how these patterns are informed by broader social determinants of health and justice.

3. To explore the goals and potential of Canada's Black Justice Strategy in addressing racial injustice, with particular attention to how a focus on the social determinants of justice can inform more equitable policy and practice.

About the Speaker

Akwasi Owusu-Bempah BA (Carleton), MA, PhD (Toronto) is a faculty member in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto, an Affiliate Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and a Senior Fellow at Massey College. Prof. Owusu-Bempah’s work examines the intersections of race, crime and criminal justice, with a particular focus in the area of policing. Prof. Owusu-Bempah is frequently sought out to provide commentary and advice to police agencies, government bodies, community organizations, and media outlets on matters relating to policing, justice and social inequality. He frequently appears on radio and TV and publishes regularly in academic and popular forums. Prof. Owusu-Bempah’s is the (co)author of Race, Ethnicity, Crime and Justice: An International Dilemma (Routledge, 2020 with Shaun Gabbidon), Waiting to Inhale: Race, Cannabis and the End of Prohibition (MIT Press, 2023 with Tahira Rehmatullah) and Ancillary Police Powers in Canada: A Critical Reassessment (UBC Press, 2024 with Burchill, Jochelson and Skolnik). His research has been published in academic journals such as Policing and Society, The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, BMJ Open, The Lancet Regional Health Americas and The International Journal of Drug Policy. His work has recently been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Guardian, and The Globe and Mail.

Download full poster here