Overdose

Individuals demonstrate drug-checking technology using an FTIR spectrometer at a harm reduction facility, with advocates and officials observing the process.
Addiction

How Drug Checking is Reducing Overdose Deaths in BC

Drug checking services are a frontline defence against fatal overdoses in British Columbia. With Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside at the epicentre of the crisis, these ...
A neatly arranged set of naloxone kits, including vials, syringes, and nasal sprays, placed on a clean surface. Each kit features clear labeling and step-by-step usage instructions designed for quick emergency response during an opioid overdose.
Addiction

How Naloxone Works and Why It’s Essential for Canada’s Opioid Crisis

Canada’s opioid crisis has escalated to a public health emergency over the past decade, with overdose deaths reaching alarming levels. In the past eight ...
Addiction

Are Overdose Prevention Sites Making a Difference in British Columbia?

In 2016, British Columbia faced an unprecedented public health emergency. The opioid crisis, driven by an increasingly toxic drug supply, was claiming lives at ...
Addiction

Downtown Eastside’s Falling Overdose Rates Challenge What We Think We Know

The toxic drug crisis in British Columbia’s Downtown Eastside—a neighbourhood at the epicentre of overdose fatalities—has presented an unexpected, albeit cautious, glimmer of hope. ...
An image of an overdose victim lying on the ground next to a syringe
Addiction

October Marks First Drop in Overdose Deaths in BC Since 2020

For the first time since 2020, British Columbia has recorded a notable decline in overdose deaths, with 155 fatalities in October 2024—a 9% decrease ...
Image of mother's hands holding feet of a newborn child
Healthcare

The Silent Toll of Maternal Overdose Deaths in Canada

Maternal health has long been a cornerstone of public health policy in Canada, yet an unsettling gap persists in how we address maternal deaths ...
The image captures a grieving father over loss of his daughter to drug overdose caused by safe supply drugs
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. ...
EMS and VPD Police Officers captured administering help to an overdose victim on the streets of Downtown Eastside Vancouver
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 ...
Pictured ambulance with first responders assisting on the streets of Downtown Eastside Vancouver
Healthcare

Frontline Challenges of the Canadian Overdose Crisis

Emergency Departments (EDs) are overwhelmed epicentres in the opioid crisis, serving as the immediate refuge for many individuals who use unregulated substances. Nurses, physicians, ...
The image captures results of MRI testing of a patient who underwent nonfatal opioid overdose
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. ...
Pictured is pulse oximetry device measuring pulse and other vital metrics
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 ...
Pictured are safe, tested substances made available by DULF Program in Downtown Eastside Vancouver
Addiction

DULF’s Radical Experiment in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

In the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), a neighbourhood plagued by addiction, a bold experiment unfolded. The Drug User Liberation Front (DULF) emerged ...
Image of an arm with fentanyl patch administering a safe dose of the drug
Addiction

Using Fentanyl Patches to Address Vancouver’s Overdose Epidemic

The opioid crisis continues to claim lives across North America, and British Columbia stands on the frontlines of this public health emergency. A key ...
Captured content of Naloxone kit to be carried by all officers of the Vancouver Policy Department
Addiction

VPD Officers to Carry Naloxone Amid Overdose Complaints: A Response to Vancouver’s Opioid Crisis

As Vancouver continues to grapple with the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic, a recent policy change is aiming to equip Vancouver Police Department ...