International Committee Events

1-010 – INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING FORUM “MEET AND GREET”  
Tuesday, May 28, 2024, 12:45 PM – 1:00 PM
Regency C (Ballroom, Hyatt Regency Washington, Washington, DC)

Download Agenda (PDF)

2-055 – SPR INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ROUNDTABLE I: Climate change and violence: lessons for prevention science
Wednesday, May 29, 2024, 4:45 PM – 6:15 PM
Yellowstone (2nd Fl, Hyatt Regency Washington, Washington, DC)

Climate change has many negative impacts on humans’ social wellbeing. One impact is violence. At a societal level, extreme weather events put strain on resources and the social order, which can result in conflict and political unrest. Historically, wars arise during times of changing climate, and when resources are scarce. Within families, violence is associated with stress arising from climate change and the consequences of climate change-related weather events, such as lack of food and water or loss of homes. Individuals may also engage in self-harm or suicide in response to the impacts of climate change on their lives and the life of their community. Moreover, the impact of violence associated with climate change is likely to be disproportionately experienced by underserved and under resourced groups and communities, women and children, LGBTQ communities, migrants, and racially and ethnically diverse communities. Given the increasing frequency and impacts of climate change and climate change-related weather events around the world, violence prevention researchers should consider the implications of links between climate change and violence for their work. This roundtable brings together experts working in the area of climate change and its impacts on violence. Speakers will outline the key risks of climate change for violence in their research. The focus of the roundtable discussion will be on how violence prevention researchers might consider the impact of climate change on their work. For instance, what sort of responses might be needed to prevent violence during climate events? How might prevention initiatives need to be adapted? Interactive audience discussion will be invited.

Chair: Amanda Nguyen, University of Virginia

3-051 – SPR INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ROUNDTABLE II: Cannabis legalization impact on increasing adult cannabinoid use: Mechanisms and public health implications
Thursday, May 30, 2024, 2:45 PM – 4:15 PM
Concord (Ballroom, Hyatt Regency Washington, Washington, DC)

As cannabinoid use in adult populations is rising internationally it is important for SPR research partnerships to advise on strategies to prevent health-related and social harms. This Roundtable is hosted by the SPR International Committee (IC) who in 2023 established a Workgroup tasked with publishing a consensus commentary regarding the public health impacts of cannabis legalization. This Roundtable brings together international researchers to firstly summarize systematic literature reviews published over the past 5 years that consistently show cannabis legalization is increasing adult cannabinoid use. The Roundtable will secondly examine the mechanisms that drive increased adult use: A recent systematic review points to associations between legalization, increased perceived accessibility and social norms approving cannabis use. Given one objective of cannabis legalization has been to reduce cannabis arrests and incarceration, the roundtable will also discuss potential impacts on crime-related outcomes. Finally, the Roundtable will discuss the level of evidence for estimating the health and social consequences of increased adult cannabis use. This discussion will assist the IC Cannabis Workgroup to anticipate and determine mid- to long-term consequences with a sufficient standard of evidence warranting SPR advocacy action. For potential consequences that require further research, the Workgroup will outline recommendations to guide future studies. Discussants are from the USA, Europe, and Australia with expertise in prevention partnerships, cannabis legalization policy mechanisms and public health impacts.

Chair: Livia Edegger, International Society of Substance Use Professionals

Speakers/Presenters:

• Jennifer A. Bailey, University of Washington
• Ebru Batmaz, Deakin University
• Marina Epstein, University of Washington
• Pablo Montero-Zamora, University of Texas at Austin

SPR International Committee (download PDF version)