New report flags fentanyl deaths and highlights importance of improving access to evidence-based opioid addiction care in BC
June 2, 2016

Report offers key recommendations to safe and effective treatment Vancouver, B.C. [June 2, 2016] A new report by the B.C. Node of the Canadian Research Initiative on Substance Misuse (CRISM) recommends novel strategies to improve access to opioid addiction care in British Columbia. The report entitled “Moving towards improved access for evide...

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Use of “tranquilizer” medications associated with highest risk of death and increased risk of HCV infection in Downtown Eastside
May 17, 2016

Use of medication class a higher risk of death than illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine Vancouver, BC [May 17, 2016] The serious dangers associated with use of benzodiazepine (BZD) medications, also known as “tranquilizers”, have been highlighted in a pair of peer reviewed research studies. The misuse of prescription medications has...

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New expert report outlines immediate actions to address BC’s prescription opioid crisis
November 24, 2015

Report singles out fentanyl problem, endorsed with overwhelming support by leading addiction and public health practitioners Vancouver, BC [November 24, 2015] A new expert report published today recommends immediate steps to reduce fatal overdoses, addiction and other severe harms related to unsafe prescribing in British Columbia. The province̵...

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Aversion to prescription marijuana could be causing Canadians harm
October 9, 2015

Vancouver, BC [October 9, 2015] In a commentary in the Canadian Journal of Public Health published on Friday, experts from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) outline arguments in favour of prescription medical cannabis. The article points to the drug’s benefits for therapeutic pain relief and to relieve symptoms associated with...

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Aboriginal youth locked up at higher rates than non-Aboriginal youth, new study finds
October 7, 2015

Vancouver, BC [October 7, 2015] A new study from the Urban Health Research Initiative (UHRI), a program of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), is the first to show street-involved Aboriginal youth in Vancouver are significantly more likely to be imprisoned than their non-Aboriginal peers. Past studies have explored risk factors invol...

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