The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
As B.C. marks another 2,272 toxic drug deaths, addictions doctor tells families: ‘I am so sorry’
January 31, 2023 | CBC News
More than 2,200 people died in British Columbia from toxic drugs over the course of 2022, making it the second deadliest year on record. The province’s coroner on Tuesday said there were 2,272 suspected drug toxicity deaths last year, just shy of the record 2,306 people who died in 2021. Mos...
Decriminalization begins in B.C. as coroners service releases overdose death data
January 31, 2023 | Toronto Star
VANCOUVER – Decriminalization of people with small amounts of illegal drugs for their own use has become a reality in British Columbia, but substance users and researchers say the change is expected to make little immediate difference because of a toxic drug supply. The policy shift began Tues...
B.C.’s drug decriminalization plan falls short: expert
January 30, 2023 | CityNews Vancouver
As B.C. gets set to decriminalize small amounts of certain drugs, some experts continue to question the province’s plan, saying it doesn’t go far enough. Dr. Thomas Kerr, director of research at the BC Centre on Substance Use, says the idea of decriminalization is a good one but he adds the pol...
B.C. drug law exemption could cut seizures of some drugs in half
January 26, 2023 | Vancouver Sun
Vancouver police seized hundreds of kilograms of illicit drugs in recent years, but they were often just one or two grams at a time. A Postmedia analysis of more than 15,000 drugs seized from July 2020 to July 2022 found that big busts were relatively rare. The typical amount was less than two g...
South Asian community health workers welcome new low-risk alcohol guidance
January 26, 2023 | Toronto Star
A doctor who treats addiction at a clinic specifically for South Asian patients says Canada’s new guidance on alcohol bolsters his efforts to convey the message about associated harms to a community that is at higher risk for conditions such as heart disease. “I’m really happy to finally hear ...
