Professorship to advance addiction medicine in BC announced in honour of Philip Owen’s legacy
January 15, 2021

Closing the evidence-to-practice gap to strengthen the addiction treatment system in BC so patients can get the care they need will be the focus of Dr. Nadia Fairbairn, the inaugural Philip Owen Professor in Addiction Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The Professorship is named after former Vancouver Mayor Philip Owen, who was i...

Cannabis could reduce fentanyl use, reduce overdose risk: study
December 17, 2020

New research suggests that cannabis use by people in care for opioid addiction might improve their treatment outcomes and reduce their risk of being exposed to fentanyl in the contaminated unregulated drug supply. In a paper published today in the peer-reviewed journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, researchers from the BC Centre on Substance Use (BC...

BCCSU statement on plan to decriminalize simple possession of drugs in Vancouver
November 18, 2020

The BC Centre on Substance Us strongly supports the motion before City Council to apply for a section 56 exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) for implementation and evaluation of the decriminalization of people who use drugs. Research clearly demonstrates that strategies that emphasize criminalization and drug law enforcement...

New podcast on addiction medicine launched to support the province’s primary care providers
September 22, 2020

The BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) has launched the first series of Addiction Practice Pod, a podcast focusing on addiction and substance use care for health care providers in British Columbia and Yukon. As one component of the collaborative online educational program the BC ECHO on Substance Use, Addiction Practice Pod will offer practical tip...

Research: Youth often use cannabis as harm reduction, may help stop injection drug use
August 20, 2020

New research is shedding light on how cannabis use among some young people may be an important way to reduce the harms of other substance use. Two newly published studies from researchers with the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) examined cannabis use behaviours among young people and other people who ...
BC Centre on Substance Use

400-1045 Howe St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9


E: [email protected] | T: (778) 945-7616 | F: (604) 428-5183

24/7 Addiction Clinician Support Line: (778) 945-7619

Online Addiction Medicine Diploma: [email protected].


website logos footer

Copyright © 2023, BC Centre on Substance Use