The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Opinion: Time to stop scapegoating overdose prevention sites
May 14, 2026 | Vancouver Sun
Last week, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) announced that it was going to reopen the Thomus Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site in a new location in downtown Vancouver. According to Dr. Patricia Daly, VCH’s chief medical officer, downtown Vancouver has the second highest rate of overdose deaths in all...
No more ‘just say no’ — Canadian schools will soon have a roadmap to address student substance use
May 10, 2026 | The Conversation
The message to students used to be simple: “Just say no.” But in today’s schools, that message is not only outdated, it may be part of the problem. Across Canada, student substance use is a growing concern. According to the most recent national student survey, 15 per cent of students in Grade...
Advocate to return ‘disingenuous’ award after mayor’s opposition to Vancouver overdose prevention site
May 06, 2026 | CBC News
A prominent harm reduction and recovery advocate says he’s returning an honour bestowed upon him by Vancouver’s mayor amid a political battle over a proposed overdose prevention site (OPS) in the city’s downtown core. Two years ago, Mayor Ken Sim proclaimed May 29, 2024, as “...
New Canadian recommendations aim to make screening for alcohol misuse easier
May 04, 2026 | EurekAlert!
An update to Canadian guidance on screening for high-risk drinking and alcohol use provides streamlined recommendations in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) that authors hope will make it easier for health care professionals to talk to patients about alcohol usehttps://www.cmaj.ca/loo...
Safe drug sites work. Our data proves it.
April 28, 2026 | Washington Post
Charles Fain Lehman and Kevin A. Sabet’s April 21 op-ed, “‘Safe drug sites’ don’t work. The data proves it.,” asserted that a “large body of research” has found no effect of these sites on overdose risk. As public health researchers whose studies evaluating supervised consumption ...
