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
Doctors set up pop-up overdose-prevention site at Comox hospital
A group of doctors advocating for overdose-prevention sites for hospital patients set up a pop-up site outside Comox Valley Hospital on Monday morning. “It is tragic and infuriating to hear of patients dying alone from overdose in hospital bathrooms, hallways or parking lots because there is nowhere safe for them to smoke their substance that they need to control their withdrawal, when we know that an OPS could have prevented that,” said Dr. Eva Hemmerich, an addiction and family medicine physician in Courtenay-Comox. (January 20, 2025)
Closure of supervised consumption sites could lead to more overdoses, paramedic stress: TPH report
Last year, the Ontario government passed legislation that will prohibit supervised consumption sites, which allow for safe consumption of illicit drugs in the presence of trained staff, from being within 200 metres of schools and daycares. Toronto Public Health is reporting that the closure of five supervised consumption sites in the city this year will hamper its ability to provide life-saving services, while increasing the workload of paramedics. (January 19, 2025)
Justin Trudeau’s “Mixed Bag” Legacy on Drug Policy
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s nine years in power come to an end, many are reflecting on his legacy. His record on drug policy—in an era that saw the federal legalization of cannabis and the expansion of harm reduction programs, but far too little done to stem a devastating overdose crisis—forms an important part of that legacy. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who is currently leading in the polls and has promised to crack down on overdose prevention sites and safe supply programs. (January 17, 2025)
Harm reduction advocates hope high court will ‘clarify’ Canada’s ‘Good Samaritan’ law
When Paul Wilson and three others called 911 as a woman they were with experienced a fentanyl overdose, they set in motion a chain of events that is now being reviewed by Canada’s Supreme Court. When Mounties arrived, Wilson was arrested for drug possession, and a search later turned up a bag with guns, false identity documents and a quantity of “apparent drugs.” Wilson was convicted on multiple gun charges in 2022, but the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal found the drug possession arrest was unlawful under Canada’s Good Samaritan law, which is meant to shield people from arrest after they seek help for someone in medical distress. The legal questions raised by the case are now set to be tested in the Supreme Court of Canada, and harm reduction advocates say the case will determine the future of the current Good Samaritan law. (January 14, 2025)
‘All eyes are on Glasgow’: UK’s first legal drug consumption room ready to open
The UK’s first legal drug consumption room, the Thistle, opened its doors in the East End of Glasgow on Monday January 13th, after a 10-year battle to realize the pioneering facility. This potentially transformative moment in UK drugs policy takes place with Scotland’s drug deaths still the worst per capita in Europe, the equivalent of three Scots dying every day. (January 10, 2025)
Sister of BC man lost to toxic drugs launches peer support group for siblings
It was May 2020. COVID-19 was new to the world, and people were isolating at home. BC’s illicit drug supply was becoming increasingly toxic. That’s when Stephanie Harrington learned her 39-year-old brother Ian had died after using toxic drugs. Shortly after Ian’s death, Harrington connected with Moms Stop the Harm, a support and advocacy group for families impacted by toxic drugs and substance use, in search of a bereavement group. While doing so offered “instant relief”, she found that the room was filled with parents who had lost children, and the grief parents feel can be much different than what siblings experience. She decided to start her own group. (January 9, 2025)
New chief coroner seeks to use data to shine a light on BC’s deaths
Dr. Jatinder (Taj) Baidwan, BC’s new Chief Coroner, is planning to deliver more data on preventable deaths of all types, including those related to intimate partner violence, sextortion, alcohol, motorbikes, accidents and trauma — while enhancing the way reports on toxic drug deaths are delivered. On the drug overdose front, Baidwan said he will move focus beyond the street-entrenched to the majority of toxic drug deaths: men ages 30 to 50 in blue-collar jobs, from truck drivers to construction workers. “Those are the ones that are using in their homes” and dying alone. Baidwan denies he or his independent office are getting muzzled by the province on the heels of Lisa Lapointe’s vocal criticisms of drug policy and the lack of accessible residential addictions treatment services. (January 6, 2025)
Why don’t I stop drinking?
Podcast series host Geoff Turner begins his most personal season yet by examining his own relationship with alcohol. In a time when sobriety is on the rise among younger generations, what changed? Through conversations with addiction researcher Dr. Catharine Fairbairn, this episode explores the factors behind the ways we drink, from social habits to self-reflection, and asks if the current cultural shift could lead us toward a more mindful future. (January 6, 2025)
Resources, Education, and Research
Drug Checking Office Hours
The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction is pleased to host Drug Checking Office Hours — virtual, one-hour, drop-in calls where experts from the National Drug Checking Working Group will provide guidance, answer questions and share resources on drug checking in Canada. Sign up to join us on Microsoft Teams on the second Tuesday of each month from 10-11 AM Pacific time for direct access to experts in policy, research, community engagement, technical support, training and more. You can drop in on as many monthly calls as you like.
Substance Use: Humility, Respect, Connection and Love – new resources
Courtesy of the Indigenous Knowledge Translation Team, Chee Mamuk Indigenous Health Program. The Indigenous Knowledge Translation Working Group (IKTWG) proudly shares their latest resources that are for family members, friends and loved ones who are struggling with their relationship with alcohol and/or substances. The intent of these posters is to bring attention to our Indigenous way of how we look after one another and offers pathways forward together through connection to land, community and culture.
Supporting People Who Use Substances During Extreme Cold Events
Cold weather events can be challenging for anyone when trying to stay warm and safe, and for people using drugs, there can be increased risks. The Ontario Harm Reduction Distribution Program produced this resource which has great information for those living and working in areas where cold weather is a safety concern.
Watch on-demand: Healthcare access prior to drug toxicity deaths in Ontario
This webinar presents the third report in a series on substance-related mortality in Ontario, produced by ODPRN alongside Public Health Ontario and people with lived and living experience of substance use. The report aims to support community-based programs responding to the province’s growing drug toxicity crisis, by examining patterns in health service use, healthcare needs and co-existing health conditions among people who lost their lives to accidental deaths involving opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants and/or alcohol.
How alcohol use disrupts the brain’s ability to adapt
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects about 400 million people worldwide and is a leading cause of serious illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and stroke. Beyond these physical impacts, AUD profoundly disrupts brain functions critical for learning, memory, and adaptability—key elements of cognitive flexibility.
In Rural Areas, People Who Use Drugs Face Particularly Severe Housing Crisis
Compared to the media spotlight on urban homelessness and drug use, rural areas have received far less attention. While this media coverage is often stigmatizing and problematic, the imbalance reflects how rural populations are largely overlooked, and their unique needs neglected. A study recently published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence seeks to address this gap. The researchers surveyed 3,000 people living in rural areas of the United States who use unregulated opioids or inject other drugs.
“Shifts in Personality” Could Be Key to Psilocybin Helping SUD Patients
Can psilocybin help people with alcohol use disorder who wish to reduce their drinking, and if so, how? While such treatment might sound counterintuitive to some, past research has indicated the psychedelic drug’s promise in this area. A new study has just shed light on the how.
The Best Place (Crackdown Podcast Episode 49)
Vancouver, British Columbia is one of the best places on earth – a world class city surrounded by ocean and mountains. If you can afford it, the good life is yours. But over the last fifteen years, Vancouver has become more dangerous for drug users than ever before. Especially young drug users. In episode 49, we hear from professor Danya Fast and Sarah West, one of Danya’s research collaborators. Both reflect on what it’s like to witness and to document preventable deaths during this crisis.
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]