The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Lisa Lapointe: In an overdose crisis, scare tactics are less effective than meaningful discussion
December 02, 2017 | The Georgia Straight
The illicit drug overdose crisis has taken over 2,000 lives in British Columbia since January 2016, and the province is likely to surpass the 1,500 mark for deaths in 2017 alone. Too many valued lives are being lost, and that’s why the BC Coroners Service is working collaboratively with a number o...
Marijuana advent calendar sales soar despite health warnings
November 26, 2017 | CTV News
ANCOUVER — A Vancouver cannabis company is scrambling to keep up with a flood of orders for marijuana-filled advent calendars, but the novel take on a popular Christmas tradition has some health experts ringing alarm bells. Lorilee Fedler of Coast to Coast Medicinals said she’s been overwhelmed ...
Criminalization Makes It Harder to Study Ayahuasca, Scientists Say
November 23, 2017 | VICE
It’s an impediment to medical research on ayahuasca’s potential to treat mental health disorders. For Isabelle, the need to seek out ayahuasca as an alternative form of treatment came after a long and continuous battle with an eating disorder growing up. “When I was young I had experienced som...
Hope on the horizon
November 23, 2017 | The University of British Columbia
As a child, the image of flames engulfing her home — of her mother not being able to escape the thick, carbon smoke — tormented Andrea for years. But the fire, visited over and over in her mind, was one that had never taken place. “As a kid, I was always really anxious,” says Andrea. “I wa...
The opioid epidemic: taking new measures to save lives
November 23, 2017 | The University of British Columbia
British Columbia is in the grips of a public health emergency. To help stem the tide, the Government of B.C. has implemented new measures. Whether it’s training communities on how to prevent and respond to overdoses, distributing free naloxone kits, or lifting restrictions for prescribing treatmen...
