The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
BC’s Efforts to Contain Toxic Drugs Still Floundering
April 27, 2026 | Medscape
Canada overall, a total of 55,032 apparent opioid toxicity deaths and 51,563 opioid-related poisoning hospitalizations were reported between January 2016 and September 2025. Preliminary data from the province suggest that the number of unregulated drug deaths in February 2026 alone equated to about�...
Toxic drug deaths decline but dangerous sedatives turning up in drug supply
April 20, 2026 | Tri-Cities Dispatch
According to preliminary data from B.C. Coroners Service, 115 people lost their lives in February 2026 due to unregulated drug toxicity. There have been 265 unregulated drug deaths in B.C. in the first two months of 2026, compared to 301 in 2025 and 426 in 2024. Authorities recently tracked an incre...
Can cannabis treat opioid addiction?
April 19, 2026 | Canadian Affairs
In July, a user on the popular social media forum Reddit posed a simple but charged question: “Does cannabis help?” Posted to r/OpiatesRecovery, a 56,000‑member forum for people recovering from opioid addiction, the question drew mixed responses within minutes. Some said they found it helpful;...
B.C. declared overdoses a public health emergency 10 years ago. Has it worked?
April 14, 2026 | CBC News
In 2016, B.C. became the first province to declare a public health emergency over rising deaths related to illicit drugs. Thousands have died since. Dr. Paxton Bach, the co-medical director of the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, explains there’s no single solution to the complicated crisis. [Vid...
Doctor calls B.C.’s toxic drug crisis ‘a catastrophe with little parallel’
April 14, 2026 | CTV News
Research scientist Dr. MJ Milloy breaks down B.C.’s response and what more needs to be done as it marks 10 years of battling the toxic drug crisis. [Video]...
