A Vancouver researcher says young people need safe spaces for harm reduction

published on April 7, 2024 by Aastha Pandey-Kanaan in CityNews Vancouver

A Vancouver research scientist says young people are at the centre of the toxic drug crisis and need more safe spaces to reduce harm.

Danya Fast, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and research scientist at the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU), wrote a book ‘The Best Place: Addiction, Intervention, and Living and Dying Young in Vancouver,’ that delves into the lives of a group of youths navigating Vancouver’s housing and overdose crisis, over 15 years.

Fast’s book shares the experiences of lives and deaths of young people who attempt to go through various services and systems in B.C. while overdose numbers skyrocketed over the years.

“We’re really following young people across time and places as they’re navigating intensive substance use, unstable housing, and homelessness, but also deeply important dreams of making homes and families together in the city of Vancouver,” she said.

Based on her years of research, Fast tells CityNews that along with dealing with different kinds of pain, substance use was also linked with excitement…