Access to safer supply prescribing rapidly increased during COVID-19: Study
June 16, 2022
The number of programs and prescribers offering safer supply to reduce risk of overdose increased dramatically during COVID-19, according to a study looking at services across Canada published this month in the International Journal of Drug Policy. The findings suggest capacity for further rapid scale-up of flexible safer supply prescribing to add...
Take-home fentanyl test strips prove useful as low-barrier drug checking approach
June 8, 2022
A research study conducted by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU), BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), Interior Health (IH) and the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) was published this month in the International Journal of Drug Policy, titled Take-Home Drug Checking as a Novel Harm Reduction Strategy in British...
Risks of contaminated Vancouver drug supply heightened during pandemic: Study
May 11, 2022
More than a third of people who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada reported a decline in the quality of drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The decline in drug quality was associated with an increased risk of experiencing a non-fatal overdose. The research findings support c...
Lower vaccination rates among people who use drugs could lead to serious outcomes from COVID-19
April 6, 2022
As many jurisdictions in Canada begin to ease public health measures intended to limit serious cases and fatalities caused by COVID-19, new research from the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) suggests many people remain at risk of serious disease. The Government of Canada, through its COVID-19 Immunity ...
Fear of child separation, violence increases overdose risk despite scaling up of harm reduction services: study
March 30, 2022
Canada’s child welfare system, in combination with policies that criminalize people who use drugs, are increasing risk of overdose and other harms for mothers, according to new research. The study, published today in the American Journal of Public Health by researchers with the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) and University of British Colu...
