Addiction

Policy

Rising Fires, Policy Clashes, and the Spread of Smokable Drugs

Smokable drug use is reshaping British Columbia’s overdose crisis, creating new risks for public safety and emergency response. As health officials push to expand ...

Policy

Can Alberta’s Recovery Model Solve BC’s Opioid Crisis?

British Columbia, once a trailblazer in harm reduction and addressing the opioid crisis, faces unrelenting challenges in reducing overdose deaths and mitigating urban disorder. ...

Policy

Public Drug Use and Decriminalization Collide in British Columbia

In January 2023, British Columbia made history by decriminalizing small amounts of certain illegal drugs for personal use, marking a significant shift toward a ...

Healthcare

Involuntary Care in British Columbia—Progress or Premature Gamble?

British Columbia’s government has unveiled a controversial plan to expand involuntary care for individuals facing severe mental health and addiction challenges. Premier David Eby ...

Policy

How BC’s 2.5-Gram Decriminalization Rule Shapes the Overdose Crisis

British Columbia’s groundbreaking drug decriminalization policy is rewriting the rules of harm reduction, but a closer look reveals a complex reality where the interplay ...

Housing

Housing, Politics, and Suppressed Data in British Columbia

British Columbia is facing a housing and addiction crisis that has left lives in the balance and policies under scrutiny. But a $30-million housing ...

Healthcare

BC Health Minister Pledges Reform After Mental Health and Addictions Ministry Closure

Following the dissolution of British Columbia’s Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, Health Minister Josie Osborne has made bold announcements about a renewed approach ...

Addiction

Nitazenes Poised to Eclipse Fentanyl in Canada’s Opioid Crisis

As Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside struggles with the devastating toll of fentanyl, a new and potentially deadlier class of synthetic opioids—nitazenes—is making its way into ...

Healthcare

The Rise and Fall of British Columbia’s Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions

British Columbia’s stand-alone Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, born from bold promises to tackle the province’s crises, has quietly disappeared. In 2017, the ...

Community

Life in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with Brandon Buckingham

In a brutally honest portrayal of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Brandon Buckingham’s Life on East Hastings goes beyond statistics and media headlines to capture the ...

Addiction

The Potential of Acupuncture in Treating Addiction

With Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside at the heart of Canada’s opioid and addiction crisis, the neighbourhood has long been an epicentre of innovative, community-based treatment ...

Addiction

Is Safer Supply a Form of Harm Reduction or a Cause of Addiction?

The notion of safer supply, once seen as a beacon of hope in Canada’s battle against the opioid crisis, is now sparking widespread debate. ...

Policy

The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act and Drug Law Enforcement

Canada’s opioid crisis has rapidly escalated into one of the country’s most urgent public health emergencies. Since 2016, over 44,000 Canadians have died from ...

Addiction

Canada’s Fight Against Opioid Overdose Sees Hope in 2024 Decline

Despite a slight decline in unregulated drug deaths in 2024, the opioid crisis continues to take a devastating toll on communities across British Columbia ...

Healthcare

Canadian Healthcare Gaps for Survivors of Non-Fatal Overdoses

For years, Canada has grappled with a devastating overdose crisis, with thousands of people succumbing to the lethal effects of toxic drugs, particularly fentanyl. ...

Addiction

Pulse Oximetry as a Potential Tool to Reduce Overdose Deaths in British Columbia

Continuous pulse oximetry, a technology traditionally used in acute care settings, is showing potential as an innovative method to decrease overdose fatalities amid British ...

Addiction

Is Involuntary Treatment for Youth a Lifesaving Necessity or an Ethical Dilemma?

As overdose deaths among Canadian youth soar to alarming levels, especially in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, the debate intensifies: Should involuntary treatment be considered to ...

Addiction

British Columbia’s Promise of Safer Supply

For almost a decade, British Columbia has been in the grip of a devastating overdose epidemic, exacerbated by an increasingly toxic unregulated drug supply. ...

Addiction

Is BC’s Drug Decriminalization Failing to Deliver Results?

British Columbia has long been grappling with a deadly overdose epidemic driven by toxic, unregulated street drugs. Since 2016, more than 14,000 lives have ...

Healthcare

BC’s Ongoing Struggle and Efforts to Combat the Toxic Drug Crisis

British Columbia continues to enhance its response to the toxic drug crisis, with Budget 2024 building on a historic $1 billion investment in mental ...

Policy

BC Drug Policy: An Alternative Vision Amid Controversy

As British Columbia approaches a provincial election, the BC Conservatives have drawn attention with their approach to addressing the drug crisis, particularly in Vancouver’s ...

Policy

Involuntary Care Sparks Controversy in Pre-Election Push

British Columbia is grappling with a toxic drug crisis that has claimed over 15,000 lives since 2016, sparking fierce political debate as the province ...