The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Researchers, academics speak out against encampment evictions in Vancouver’s DTES
June 13, 2023 | The Ubyssey
Following the city of Vancouver’s evictions of homeless encampments in the Downtown Eastside, several UBC and non-UBC academics signed onto an open letter calling on the City of Vancouver to stop the evictions. Starting in April 2023, police and city staff forcibly removed tents and other makeshif...
Vancouver family that lost member to overdose donates $20M to recovery program
June 12, 2023 | CBC News
A Vancouver family known for its philanthropy is making a $20 million donation to a substance use treatment program in memory of a family member who died of an opioid overdose. Jill Diamond, executive director of Vancouver’s Diamond Foundation, says her brother Steven Diamond could still be...
More work needed on B.C.’s decriminalization plan, experts say
June 05, 2023 | CTV News Vancouver Island
In an attempt to combat stigmas and barriers associated with substance-use, the province has set out on a three-year project to decriminalize the personal use of drugs, allowing the small possession of certain illicit substances. But with a death toll that has now amassed over 11,000 in the last se...
The FDA says people are confusing poppers with energy shots, and dying. Experts want proof
June 04, 2023 | CBC News
Poppers are a chemical substance popular among people who have anal sex. It’s not unusual for the packaging of one product to resemble that of another, potentially leading to mix-ups. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned people who drink energy shots to make sure they...
New drug checking technology being used in qathet region
June 02, 2023 | Powell River Peak
Through funding from the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), qathet community action team (CAT) has purchased a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer that enables advanced drug testing in a matter of minutes. According to a media release from Lift Community Services, this is the o...
