The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Up in smoke: 5 years after legalization, cannabis use higher while companies burn out
October 17, 2023 | CTV News
Five years after legalization, the number of Canadians using recreational cannabis keeps getting higher while the sector shows signs of burning out. According to new research from Statistics Canada, one in five Canadians reported using cannabis in 2020 — a six per cent increase from before legali...
The roots of the North American opioid crisis, and 3 key strategies for stopping it
October 16, 2023 | The Conversation
The Netflix series Painkiller recently depicted how the over-prescribing of the medicine OxyContin wreaked havoc on American society. Today the grim reality is that opioid-related deaths in North America reached a record level in 2022, with more than 109,000 fatalities in the United States. The s...
New guideline urges doctors to regularly screen for alcohol use disorder
October 16, 2023 | Toronto Star
New guidance to help family doctors detect and manage high-risk drinking addresses a crucial gap in knowledge among both patients and doctors, say its authors, who warn that a common practice to prescribe antidepressants can actually induce cravings for alcohol. The advice is comprised of 15 recomme...
Changing ‘Welfare Wednesday’ Could Save Lives. Why Haven’t We Done It?
October 16, 2023 | The Tyee
It’s a fact that’s shown up in toxic drug death data for decades: deaths spike in the days following “Welfare Wednesday.” That’s the day in the middle of the month when people living in poverty get their cheque for an entire month’s worth of income assistance from the provincial governme...
Ramping up drug testing in B.C. could save lives, activists say
October 07, 2023 | CHEK News
A free drug-testing service in Vancouver has tested over 50,000 illicit substances as part of a harm reduction initiative that lets people know what is in their drugs. Anyone can walk into Get Your Drugs Tested at 880 E. Hastings St., hand over a sample of their drugs (staff need about 10 milligra...
