The Vancouver Area Network of Drugs Users (VANDU)
is a group of users and former users who work to improve
the lives of people who use illicit drugs through
user-based peer support and education.

In response to epidemic rates of HIV/AIDS infection and general social unrest in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, VANDU formed in January 1998 to address issues of poverty, social exclusion, criminalization, and ancillary illness from the ground up. VANDU is now funded by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA) as part of its harm reduction strategy. As a registered non-profit, VANDU’s primary objective is to increase capacity of people who use illicit drugs to live healthy and productive lives. This is accomplished through peer-based support and education. VANDU holds several weekly support group meetings, and its membership is actively involved in public awareness and education campaigns (through media, conferences, and outreach), hospital visits, and community and legal advocacy. Since 1998, VANDU’s membership has grown to over 2000 strong, making VANDU the largest organization of its kind in the world. VANDU has retained a high profile in the public eye, through recent media events such as Dan Rather Reports, and the 2004 Genie Award-winning documentary Fix: Story of an Addicted City, which chronicles the events leading up to the opening of North America’s first safe injections site. VANDU proudly celebrated its ten-year anniversary in 2008.