The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Too early to draw conclusions about drop in toxic drug deaths, professor says
February 04, 2025 | CBC News
Kora DeBeck, a research scientist with the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, says that a 13 per cent drop in toxic drug deaths in 2024 compared to 2023 may not be the start of a trend. She says that other jurisdictions across North America also saw illicit drug deaths drop last year, and there are still...
How cannabis is helping Downtown Eastside residents get off hard drugs
January 18, 2025 | Georgia Straight
Jen Nelson is known as the cannabis angel of the Downtown Eastside. She regularly roams through the area, gifting people with joints, edibles, and weed to aid relaxation and ease devastating drug withdrawal symptoms. Several years ago, however, she herself was strung out after a series of damaging c...
The Case of the Marijuana Museum
January 17, 2025 | The Tyee
To get into the Vancouver School of Drug War History and Organic Cultivation, would-be cannabis buyers had to first answer a skill-testing question that showed they had taken part in a one-hour walking tour. “The cops… tried getting access to the school just by tapping on the window like eve...
Drug deaths in B.C. are dropping. Here are some of the theories why
January 01, 2025 | Times Colonist
Deaths related to drug overdoses have declined nine per cent in B.C. over the past year. But experts says it’s unclear whether the falling numbers signal a trend, or simply a dip, while the reason behind the decline is also unknown. Data released by the B.C. Coroners Service this month show 1,925 ...
B.C. police chief association says it no longer supports drug decriminalization pilot project
December 13, 2024 | CityNews Vancouver
The BC Association of Chiefs of Police (BCACP) says it no longer supports the province’s drug decriminalization pilot project. “While the BCACP was open to the notion of decriminalization as one potential tool to achieve these goals, recent developments have prompted a re-evaluation of its effec...
