The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Use of opioid overdose antidote by paramedics jumps 222% in 1 year
May 10, 2017 | CBC News
Ambulance N.B. naloxone policy changes after fentanyl claims thousands of lives across Western Canada Paramedics at Ambulance New Brunswick are using naloxone more often, according to new data released through a right to information request. It shows that paramedics have used the antidote to reverse...
Advocate wants the opioid crisis to be a bigger election issue
May 08, 2017 | News 1130
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Over 920 people died as a result of opioid overdoses in BC last year. It was such a big problem that the provincial health officer declared the crisis a public health emergency. Yet, despite the growing concerns, it has been largely overshadowed by transit goodies and child...
Follow the data, governor: sites for injections work
May 07, 2017 | Boston Globe
LAST SPRING, AFTER signing legislation aimed at curbing opioid abuse at a State House ceremony, Governor Charlie Baker broke down in tears. Only after a swell of applause from a large crowd of legislators, law enforcement officials, and families of overdose victims was he able to speak. “May today...
Father wants the right to force teenage daughter into drug rehab
May 07, 2017 | Times Colonist
A father wants to do what he feels is best for his teenage daughter A Victoria father is pleading for the power to check his 15-year-old daughter, who he says is addicted to heroin, into rehab. British Columbia does not allow parents to force their children into treatment facilities or secure care a...
Opioid crisis being overlooked in B.C. election as death toll spikes
May 06, 2017 | The Globe and Mail
Overdose deaths have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels in British Columbia, but the issue has barely factored into the provincial election campaign – and next week’s vote does not appear likely to spur any bold or swift changes to curb the crisis. Four people die every day from illicit-drug ov...
