The latest news articles featuring BC Centre on Substance Use.
Stigma against psychedelics could fade with decriminalization in B.C., experts say
August 20, 2022 | Toronto Star
Decriminalization of some hard drugs in British Columbia could help reduce stigma around psychedelic substances that have medicinal value, but have been caught up in the war on drugs, experts say. “The war on drugs is one of the main drivers of the overdose epidemic and it also may be one of the r...
Psilocybin offers new ways to lower risks of opioid addiction
August 19, 2022 | Vancouver Is Awesome
The opioid crisis has been felt throughout B.C. for decades with policymakers, advocates and researchers looking for new ways to help those with opioid dependency or opioid use disorder (OUD). Two benchmark treatments exist: methadone and buprenorphine, both synthetic opiate derivatives. These trea...
B.C. NDP leadership race: Eby pitches involuntary care for severe overdose cases
August 18, 2022 | Vancouver Sun
People who repeatedly overdose should be given treatment instead of being discharged from hospital, even if that means involuntary care, B.C. NDP leadership candidate David Eby says. The idea, however, worries a leading addictions physician and researcher who said such an approach could do more har...
Dr. Paxton Bach: Our overburdened health-care system cannot meet the need for a safer drug supply
August 17, 2022 | The Province
When Canada’s premiers met last month, one overwhelming issue emerged — our health system is overburdened and overtaxed. There have been countless recent illustrations to this effect, including a poignant advertisement in a B.C. paper pleading for a referral to a family physician, putting a huma...
BC Drug Deaths Bring More Demands for Change
August 16, 2022 | The Tyee
More than 1,000 people have already been killed by toxic drugs in British Columbia in the first half of 2022, according to data from the BC Coroners Service released today. And after six months, the province is on track for the most deadly year in its history. The poisoned drug supply killed 146 peo...
