The drug toxicity crisis in British Columbia has claimed the lives of over 130 youth between January and May 2022. A new study led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr. Danya Fast and published in the International Journal of Drug Policy highlights the importance of collaborating with youth who use drugs to find possible solutions to this crisis.

The study calls for improvements to treatment options, such as opioid agonist therapy (OAT), for young people who use illicit drugs.

“Youth use opioids for many different reasons,” explains Fast, who has over 15 years of experience working with young people. “They are consumed for pleasure and as part of socialising, but also to treat physical, emotional, psychological and even economic pain, such as the pain of crushing, entrenched poverty.”…