Michelle Wazan has been advocating for drug policy reform in Lebanon since 2017 and currently heads the drug policy program at Skoun. She has a background in political science and international law.

The criminalization of drug use in Lebanon has trickled down to healthcare settings, leading hospitals to engage in the dangerous practice of reporting overdose cases to the police. This has fostered fear of arrest among people who use drugs, deterring them from seeking emergency medical care during drug-related emergencies.

Although the Lebanese law prohibits physicians from reporting overdoses to the police, the stigma and discrimination stemming from criminalization have created a culture where many still view it as their duty to do so. Since 2015, Skoun has been advocating for safe and timely access to emergency medical care for people who use drugs, without fear of legal repercussions. Our efforts have involved collaboration with key stakeholders, hospital administrators, and affected communities.

Through sustained advocacy with key ministries and syndicates, we successfully secured a series of circulars banning the reporting of overdose cases. These directives emphasize that this practice increases the risk of death and violates the right to health and life of people who use drugs. However, due to the absence of continuous governmental oversight, hospitals continue to report overdoses to the police. To address this gap, Skoun conducts annual mappings of “safe hospitals” to monitor compliance with the circulars, and inform the public in order to ensure that people who use drugs know where to seek care in emergencies. Our outreach efforts to hospitals have resulted in a growing number of "safe hospitals" where overdose cases are no longer reported to authorities. These sustained advocacy efforts and the employment of diverse strategies reflect the crucial role of civil society in driving drug policy reform and protecting the rights of criminalized communities.

The presentation will highlight these advocacy efforts, demonstrate key successes through measurable outcomes, and discuss the challenges of advocating in Lebanon’s crisis context since 2019.