Substance Use News provides a monthly collection of news and resources on the social, medical and political responses to the toxic drug supply crisis and information about alcohol harm reduction. Please check Info for People Who Use Substances to get the latest alerts, and tips on how to stay safe from Toward the Heart. New to this work? Visit our Substance Use and Harm Reduction page for more resources.
In the News
Study Shows Selling Tested Drugs Saves Lives
Run by a compassion club, the initiative helps people avoid overdose by letting them know exactly what they’re taking. Last week the Drug User Liberation Front published a study based on its first year of operation that found quality of life improved for many of its users, with people reporting fewer overdoses and negative interactions with police, less hospitalization and less drug-related violence.
B.C. health officer urges patience on drug crisis, government says changes to regulations coming this fall
The B.C. government promised changes later this year to regulations around public drug use while defending their overall approach to decriminalization at a packed opening session of the 2023 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention on September 18, 2023. “It’s not perfect,” said Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. At the same time, Henry said the government’s overall standpoint on decriminalization has not changed. “The solution is not to go back to arresting people, particularly people who are visibly homeless,” she said.
Prescribed fentanyl helps this man manage his addiction. Experts want more access to safe supply
With the toxic drug supply continuing to claim thousands of lives across Canada every year, experts, advocates, and drug users are drawing attention to a growing demand for harm-reduction services — like drug checking and doctor-prescribed substances, called safer supply — that are currently only available in a select few communities.
British Columbia sets horrific new record with 1,455 drug deaths in 1st 7 months of 2023
The coroners service said the 1,455 deaths from January to July are the most ever reported in the first seven months of the year since a public health emergency over drug poisoning deaths in the province was declared in 2016. “They are our friends and our neighbours, and it’s just so tragic that we’re losing so many important people that are important to us,” Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe told Gloria Macarenko, the host of CBC’s On The Coast. It puts the province on pace to potentially exceed the 2,383 deaths recorded last year. A total of 12,739 people in the province have died from drug overdoses in those seven years.
Insite Turns 20
Insite opened its doors on Sept. 21, 2003, in an effort to reduce the spread of blood-borne pathogens like HIV and hepatitis C, said Susan Alexman, director of programs at PHS. “Unfortunately we’ve now moved into a toxic fentanyl crisis and we’re working really hard to ensure people are not dying from this crisis as well.”
Statement from the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health on the Overdose Crisis
“We know, now more than ever, that we need to provide a full range of services and support to save lives and protect the health and safety of Canadians. That’s why we are focused on the key pillars of drug policy; prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery, as well as enforcement efforts to protect our communities. This is not the time to be pitting harm reduction against treatment. We need all four to end this crisis. To truly help people who use substances, we also have to provide services and supports they can access along their wellness journey, when and where they need them.”
Unregulated Drug Deaths to August 2023 (Statistical Reports in BC)
There were 174 suspected unregulated drug deaths in August 2023. The August numbers represent an 8% decrease over the number of deaths in August 2022 (190) and a 14% decrease over the number of deaths in July 2023 (203). The number of unregulated drug deaths in August 2023 equates to about 5.6 deaths per day, and in 2023, 70% of those dying were aged 30 to 59, and 78% were male.
Advocacy and Education
Higher dose of buprenorphine may better support people to stick with opioid treatment
“Medications for opioid use disorder, such as buprenorphine, are life-saving, but only if people start them and stay on them,” says Francesca Beaudoin, a professor of epidemiology and emergency medicine at Brown University. A multivariable comparison of two study groups in the U.S. showed patients prescribed the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) recommended dose were significantly more likely to discontinue treatment over 180 days compared to those prescribed a dose higher than FDA recommendation. “It is imperative that we reevaluate and update treatment guidelines to account for today’s opioid crisis—otherwise, we are putting lives at risk. This study indicates that people who are prescribed higher doses of buprenorphine tend to stay on it longer.”
“Less is better” is the best message when talking to patients about alcohol
Alcohol is known to be an important risk factor for acute illnesses and injuries due to trauma and violence, chronic diseases like cirrhosis, mental health problems and impaired social functioning. In Canada, more people are admitted to hospital for alcohol-related conditions than for heart attacks, and ten people die in hospital every day from harms caused by alcohol. Moreover, risks related to drinking and driving, consuming alcohol when pregnant or breastfeeding, and binge drinking are generally well understood.
Keynote Panel on “Safer Supply – what needs to change?”
Join us for a special keynote panel at our AGM on October 19, 2023. THere will be a presentation by Charlene Burmeister (Coalition of Substance Users of the North) and Kurt Lock (BCCDC harm reduction team), and special guests. This will be followed by Q&A. Our speakers will unpack the present realities of prescribed safer supply (PSS) in BC, as it is under the media and political spotlight right now. The call for PSS preceded both the pandemic and the overdose/toxic drug crisis, so the presentation will provide historical context – including the ‘war on drugs’ – and explore the evidence behind PSS as one of the tools to help people. They will highlight current barriers to a more effective implementation, as well as innovative and successful PSS models. Moving forwards, the presentation will give us insights on what we can all do.
Visit the BC Centre for Disease Control’s Unregulated Drug Poisoning Emergency Dashboard for provincial data from different sources.
Visit the BC Centre on Substance Use for information on evidence-based approaches to substance use care and harm reduction.
Visit the National Safer Supply Community of Practice (NSS-CoP), whose goal is to scale up safer supply programs across Canada.
Visit the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research site for research on aclohol and substance use.
Questions? Feedback? Get in touch. Janet Madsen, Capacity Building and Digital Communications Coordinator, [email protected]
Focus image by Andrew, Flickr (Creative Commons)