The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Why the Drug User Liberation Front Gave Out Free, Checked Drugs in Vancouver
August 11, 2020 | Filter
The Drug User Liberation Front, a Vancouver-based activist group, made a serious statement on June 23. During a protest in the city’s Downtown Eastside, they gave out free, checked and illegal drugs to their community. They did this in response to British Columbia’s monthly overdose death numbe...
A Domestic Safe Supply of Injectable Heroin Would Save Lives
August 10, 2020 | The Tyee
For so many in British Columbia living at risk of overdose, as well as across Canada, the recent announcement of a new pharma company focused on creating a safe supply of pharmaceutical heroin is a lifeline. B.C. yet again recorded the worst month in its history for overdose deaths, with 175 dead...
Youth and opioid agonist therapy: We need to collaborate with youth on short- and longer-term plans
August 05, 2020 | BC Medical Journal
North America is in the midst of an overdose emergency that is having devastating effects, including among youth under 30 years of age. In Canada, youth represent the fastest growing age demographic for hospitalizations due to opioid poisoning, and in British Columbia, more than 1000 youth ages 10...
It’s official, COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in alcohol use
July 25, 2020 | The Province
All those hilarious boozing alone memes that cropped up during the pandemic lockdown may not be so funny in the long-term if policy-makers don’t address harms associated with increased alcohol consumption, say experts. According to a new study released by the Canadian Journal of Public Health, th...
Amid ‘horrific’ spike in opioid deaths, doctors call for decriminalization, regulation of drugs
July 24, 2020 | CBC Radio - Day 6
With opioid overdoses spiking during the coronavirus pandemic, two doctors say decriminalization is crucial to preventing deaths. According to Dr. Keith Ahamad, an addictions physician in Vancouver, relying on doctors to provide “safe supply” prescriptions doesn’t go far enough. “Most health...
