The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Young people at the centre of the toxic drug crisis
February 28, 2024 | UBC News
Vancouver may be considered by many as the “best place” to live, but many young people living in the city are facing unprecedented challenges that are making their futures more precarious than ever. Hundreds of youth who call Vancouver home are standing at the intersection of a housing affordabi...
Former Vancouver safe supply program saved lives, new research says
February 23, 2024 | Vancouver Sun
Substance-users who got drugs vetted for fatal contaminants from a now-closed compassion club significantly reduced their overdose rates, keeping them alive during the fatal drug overdose crisis, says a University of B.C. professor involved in newly released research. The findings, published Thursda...
Youth face barriers to overdose harm reduction, say front-line workers
February 23, 2024 | Yahoo News Canada
With the toxic drug crisis as the leading cause of death for British Columbians aged 10 though 59, nearly 170 youth, aged 18 and under, have lost their lives since 2017. According to experts, not enough research and monitoring has been done to assess the impacts of the crisis on young people, who al...
Fear driving opposition to supervised consumption site, says psychology prof
February 17, 2024 | CityNews Vancouver
The debate over harm reduction services has heated up after Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) chose not to move forward with a proposed supervised drug consumption site in the City of Richmond earlier this week. Zach Walsh, a psychology professor at UBC, says fear is the driving factor when people oppo...
Using cannabis can ease cravings for street-level drugs, UBC research suggests
February 15, 2024 | UBC Okanagan News
New findings from researchers at the University of British Columbia suggest that cannabis could play a role in addressing the ongoing opioid overdose crisis. A new publication from Dr. Hudson Reddon, alongside UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Zach Walsh and UBC Vancouver’s Dr. M-J Milloy, observed that using ...