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 harm reduction. To get the latest toxic drug safety alerts, visit Info for People Who Use Substances page from Toward the Heart. Subscribe to our newsletter for information weekly- scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up. You can also visit our Substance Use and Harm Reduction page for more resources.
In the News
Media Statement: The Government of Ontario is Attempting to Force Through a Deadly Drug Policy Bill
Toronto: We are watching with grave concern as the Government of Ontario attempts to force through radical legislation that will eliminate life-saving supervised consumption services (SCS) and prevent access to other evidence-based responses to an unregulated drug crisis that is killing 10 people in Ontario every single day. We appeal to the government to withdraw their time allocation motion. Experts in the care for people with substance use disorder and other people who use drugs are anxious for the opportunity to speak to Committee about this bill and the devastating effects it will have on Ontarians. This statement can be attributed to the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, the Drug Strategy Network of Ontario, and the HIV Legal Network. (November 27, 2024).
Rising threat of nitazenes joins fentanyl in Canada’s toxic drug supply
What’s believed to be an even more potent class of synthetic drugs is showing up across the country: nitazenes. Nitazenes were created in the 1950s as pain relievers but were never approved for clinical use. RCMP in Metro Vancouver, Labrador, and Prince Edward Island have seized nitazenes as part of drug busts this year. Public health units in Ottawa and Quebec’s Eastern Townships have also flagged them. (November 21, 2024)
Ontario’s Harmful Backslide: A Threat to Lives and Canada’s Legacy in Harm Reduction
The Global Commission on Drug Policy is deeply concerned about the legislation tabled in Ontario, “Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act”, which threatens to dismantle nearly half of the province’s supervised consumption sites (SCS) by March 2025. Canada has been a global leader in harm reduction, pioneering North America’s first SCS in Vancouver in 2003 and introducing heroin-assisted treatment programs in 2005. As Ontario moves to close similar sites, it risks undoing effective, evidence-based policies. Harm reduction benefits entire communities by improving health and fostering trust between marginalized populations and health services. (November 20, 2024)
Ontario First Nation declares state of emergency over gang and addiction crises
A northern Ontario First Nation declared a state of emergency on November 19, 2024 over concurrent crises involving crime, gang activity, addiction and mental health problems that have plagued the community for years. Suicides, addictions and untreated mental health issues are on the rise in the community. “We cannot continue to shoulder this crisis alone,” Chief Louis Kwissiwa said. (November 19, 2024)
Unsanctioned Overdose Prevention Sites Open Outside Two BC Hospitals
Dr. Jessica Wilder, a family and addictions medicine doctor spearheading a pop-up at Nanaimo, said that the hospital sees overdoses on a weekly basis. Without anywhere to safely manage their withdrawal on hospital grounds, people are using alone in the bathrooms, or leaving the hospital against medical advice. (November 18, 2024)
Yukon must do something about overdose crisis say advocates
Around two dozen people gathered at a supportive housing building in downtown Whitehorse on Nov. 1 to raise awareness about addiction-related deaths. “We are losing an entire generation, and it needs to stop,” said organizer and recovering addict Teri-Lynn Schinkel. “It’s happening in all our communities around the Yukon, and it’s affected all of us.” (November 6, 2024).
Advocacy, Education, and Research
What Does “Lived Experience” Really Mean?
“Nothing about us without us” has long been a principle of the drug policy reform and harm reduction movements—and rightly so. In recent years, it has been good to see more agencies and institutions than before recognize this basic omission, and begin inviting people with “lived experience” to participate in policy development, research and service delivery. Clearly, however, there are risks of tokenism or highly selective invitations here, including among organizations purporting to be peer-led. And this raises nuanced issues which are worthy of exploration. In the drug field, what should “lived experience” actually mean?
Exploring and describing alcohol harm reduction interventions: a scoping review of literature from the past decade in the western world
Regular alcohol use is a predominant risk factor for disease, injury, and social harm. While robust evidence is advocating for implementing interventions to reduce the harms of illegal substance use, less literature is dedicated to identifying and understanding interventions aiming at reducing the various harms associated with alcohol. This review describes how alcohol harm reduction (AHR) interventions are currently conducted and analyzes the facilitators and barriers identified by the studies on their efficacy.
BC Drug-Decrim Study Explores Problems With 2.5-Gram Threshold
Since the inception of British Columbia’s drug decriminalization policy, which took effect in January 2023, harm reduction advocates have debated it intensely with policymakers and law enforcement. They’ve long argued that key elements of the policy, such as the 2.5-gram possession threshold and the exclusion of benzodiazepines, are fundamentally misaligned with the realities of people’s lives. Over halfway through the policy’s three-year implementation period, a study recently published in Harm Reduction Journal reached some strikingly similar conclusions.
Management of opioid use disorder: 2024 update to the national clinical practice guideline
From the Canadian Medical Association Journal: In an evolving landscape of practices and policies, reviewing and incorporating the latest scientific evidence is necessary to ensure optimal clinical management for people with opioid use disorder. We provide a synopsis of the 2024 update of the 2018 National Guideline for the Clinical Management of Opioid Use Disorder, from the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Matters.This guideline update presents new recommendations based on the latest literature for standardized management of opioid use disorder. The aim is to establish a robust foundation upon which provincial and territorial bodies can develop guidance for optimal care.
Women, gender and drugs: between research and action
After highlighting the history and current context of harm reduction for women in France, the Harm Reduction Journal presents the results of four research studies addressing the links between gender and drugs. This article is divided into three parts, each addressing a specific space: the space of institutional care, the intimate marital space, and the urban festive space.
Reducing the harms of cannabis use in youth post-legalization: insights from Ontario youth, parents, and service providers
Canada has one of the highest prevalence of cannabis use globally, particularly among young adults aged 20–24 (50%) and youth aged 16–19 (37%). This qualitative study examined perceptions of cannabis use among youth from the perspectives of youth, parents, and service providers. We explored how participants described the perceived risks or harms associated with youth cannabis use, as well as how they described their own and others’ approaches to reducing cannabis-related risks and harms.
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]