Deeply shocked and saddened to hear this news. David was a kind, good-humoured and thoughtful man and a towering intellect of drug policy who never made you feel small.
Dave changed my life irrevocably as I'm sure he did for so many others. In 2012, fresh out of my undergrad, he provided me the opportunity to write about my subject for the GDPO. He then continued providing those opportunities regularly as I progressed throughout my academic journey. Almost every paper I've ever written was through a publication venue Dave found for me.
Yet he did all of this without meeting me in person, that didn't happen until 2018, where we bumped into each other at a conference. I was struck by how he warm and kind he was, this person who had been instrumental to opening doors for me as a total stranger. There wasn't any academic pomposity, just a wicked grin and sharp wit. We had a great time at the conference, talking and laughing over the next couple of days. I was a fresh face at these things and nervous and he put me at my ease and introduced me to people. He then arranged for me to join him and Martin at the CND in 2020 and wrote a piece with me for the IDPC the same year.
A few weeks ago I was talking with a colleague who I co-wrote many of the GDPO pieces with. We were reminiscing about how young we were, the risk Dave had taken with us, and how they launched our careers in our field. We agreed we'd get in touch with him to thank him and write something new for the GDPO.
Although we didn't get that chance, I'll say it here. Thank you, Dave, for everything. I hope you know the profound impact you had on both of us, and on so many others as evidenced in the memories shared here.
Rest in peace
Deeply shocked and saddened to hear this news. David was a kind, good-humoured and thoughtful man and a towering intellect of drug policy who never made you feel small.
Dave changed my life irrevocably as I'm sure he did for so many others. In 2012, fresh out of my undergrad, he provided me the opportunity to write about my subject for the GDPO. He then continued providing those opportunities regularly as I progressed throughout my academic journey. Almost every paper I've ever written was through a publication venue Dave found for me.
Yet he did all of this without meeting me in person, that didn't happen until 2018, where we bumped into each other at a conference. I was struck by how he warm and kind he was, this person who had been instrumental to opening doors for me as a total stranger. There wasn't any academic pomposity, just a wicked grin and sharp wit. We had a great time at the conference, talking and laughing over the next couple of days. I was a fresh face at these things and nervous and he put me at my ease and introduced me to people. He then arranged for me to join him and Martin at the CND in 2020 and wrote a piece with me for the IDPC the same year.
A few weeks ago I was talking with a colleague who I co-wrote many of the GDPO pieces with. We were reminiscing about how young we were, the risk Dave had taken with us, and how they launched our careers in our field. We agreed we'd get in touch with him to thank him and write something new for the GDPO.
Although we didn't get that chance, I'll say it here. Thank you, Dave, for everything. I hope you know the profound impact you had on both of us, and on so many others as evidenced in the memories shared here.
Rest in peace
