The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Safer Opioid Supply Program in Canada Helps Those Who Face Overdose Risks
September 27, 2022 | Medscape
The Safer Opioid Supply (SOS) Program near Toronto, Canada, appears to be a safe and effective harm-reduction initiative, according to new data. An analysis indicates that the program is associated with a reduction in emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and overall healthcare costs. In a...
Benzodiazepines found in 55 fatal overdoses in July as contamination mounts in B.C.
September 23, 2022 | CBC News
The memory might be hazy, but Hugh Lampkin says he will never forget the day he unwittingly took benzodiazepine in a desperate attempt to alleviate severe pain in his back. He thought he was taking heroin, before collapsing head-first onto a steel safe in a back room at the Vancouver Area Netwo...
‘This program’s really saved us’: As Canada offers safer opioids to curb overdoses, will U.S. follow?
September 21, 2022 | STAT News
TORONTO — The Finks, married just a month earlier, sat down for their appointment, Kim dressed in head-to-toe pink and Chris in all black. He was taciturn, while she joked she couldn’t stop talking long enough to have her blood pressure taken. Jouvence Tshiyoyo Bukumba, a nurse, asked Kim, 46, a...
Safer opioid supply program leads to drop in hospitalizations, ER visits: study
September 19, 2022 | CTV News Toronto
Safe opioid supply programs can significantly cut down on emergency department visits and hospitalizations for people at high risk for overdose, new research from Ontario suggests. A study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal examined people who used a safer opioid supply pro...
Eby and Appadurai Differ on Compulsory Drug Treatment
September 15, 2022 | The Tyee
When BC NDP leader hopeful David Eby last month said people who have overdosed from toxic drugs twice in a day should be given compulsory treatment instead of being discharged from the hospital, the response from harm reduction advocates was swift and skeptical. Eby’s competitor for the BC NDP lea...
