The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Doctor’s pleas go unheard in Ottawa
August 26, 2020 | National Observer
B.C.’s death toll from toxic street drugs continues to skyrocket during the pandemic, with 175 people dead from overdoses in July. It is the third consecutive month with more than 170 overdose deaths, said B.C.’s chief coroner Lisa Lapointe at a press conference on Tuesday. That equates to almo...
Calls for safer supply of drugs as B.C. records 175 overdose deaths in July
August 25, 2020 | The Province
VICTORIA — British Columbia recorded 175 overdose deaths in July as paramedics responded to a record 2,706 non-fatal overdoses, prompting health officials to call for greater access to a safer supply of drugs as a top priority. The province had its highest-ever overdose fatalities in June, with 17...
Cannabis could be a useful form of harm reduction for addicted youth, B.C. study reveals
August 20, 2020 | Victoria News
Cannabis could be a useful harm reduction strategy for young people struggling with addiction, according to new research out of B.C. Two newly published studies from researchers with the BC Centre on Substance Use and the University of British Columbia examined cannabis use behaviours among young pe...
Canada’s other health crisis: As overdoses surge, officials call on government to decriminalize illicit drugs
August 16, 2020 | Washington Post
TORONTO — The novel coronavirus was on the march across Canada, but it was a different public health crisis that turned Shannon Krell’s world upside down. Her brother hadn’t shown up for work, which was unusual. She called the police to have someone check on the 46-year-old, but a friend arriv...
Why BC’s Illicit Drugs Are Increasingly Deadly
August 14, 2020 | The Tyee
British Columbia’s illicit drug supply has become increasingly dangerous during the COVID-19 pandemic as borders are closed and more drugs are manufactured or altered domestically. Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, deputy chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, identified three main sources of...
