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. Get weekly substance use news by subscribing to our newsletter: 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
BC Enters 10th Year of Overdose Crisis, as It Shutters Harm Reduction Policies
As people gathered in Vancouver’s Victory Square on April 14 to mark nine years since British Columbia declared the overdose crisis a public health emergency, an ambulance blaring its siren sped by. It may not have been a moment of silence, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) president Dave Hamm told the crowd, but it was a “pointed moment.” (April 16, 2025)
Alberta introduces controversial involuntary addictions treatment bill
The Alberta government introduced its long-promised and controversial bill on Tuesday to force people with severe substance addictions into involuntary treatment. Bill 53, the Compassionate Intervention Act, lays out the criteria, guidelines and process for a family member or guardian, health-care professional or police officer to get someone into treatment. Under the law, if passed, a patient won’t be able to refuse medications that the commission has decided they will take to treat their addiction. (April 15, 2025)
Empowering communities: Drug checking services in the Northwest
Drug checking is one component of Northern Health’s regional drug poisoning (overdose) prevention and response strategy, aimed at creating a low barrier access to life-saving services. Collection sites are accessible via Prince Rupert Specialized MHSU Outreach, Smithers Specialized MHSU Outreach, Kitimat Health Centre, and Ksan Society Terrace. FTIR drug checking is offered in addition to the take home fentanyl test strips available through Northern Health. (April 2, 2025)
First Nation in Ontario has no space for alcohol-drug detox centre, so dozens being helped at a hotel
Community support worker Kyle Arnold says detoxing from drugs is one of the hardest things he’s ever done, but seeing dozens of members of Long Lake #58 First Nation going through withdrawal together in a safe space “is absolutely beautiful.” Long Lake #58 is an Ojibway community about 300 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, Ont. On Friday, 42 of its members arrived at the NorWester Hotel and Conference Centre — which is partially owned by the First Nation — to participate in a 10-day detox program. The community has booked more than 50 hotel rooms, where participants receive on-site medical and social support and hourly room checks, as they go through withdrawal from alcohol or drugs and prepare for a full treatment program. (April 1, 2025)
Recovery program opens, supports healing for people in northern BC
More people living with substance-use challenges now have access to treatment and recovery with the opening of the new Northern BC Therapeutic Community in Prince George. The recovery program has 25 publicly funded treatment and recovery beds and opened on March 13, 2025, following building renovations and program updates. The Northern BC Therapeutic Community is located 30 kilometres southwest of Prince George on the former Baldy Hughes site. It provides a safe environment for individuals to build community while focusing on recovery from substance-use challenges, and equips participants with the tools needed to sustain long-term success in their post-care journeys. (March 31, 2025)
Education and Research
Nowhere to seek safety as gender-based violence worsens under drug supply and displacement crises
Gender-based violence is not new to the province of British Columbia (BC), to the city of Vancouver, or to the Downtown Eastside (DTES). But as intersecting and seemingly unending crises continue to become more urgent, the acuity and nature of this violence has changed in shape. Both the frequency of gendered violence and lack of remaining space for respite is alarming.
Survey shows increased awareness of alcohol’s cancer risks
Public awareness of the link between drinking alcohol and an elevated risk of cancer has grown since last fall, with more than half of Americans now saying that regularly consuming alcohol increases your chances of later developing cancer, according to a survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. The survey was fielded less than a month after U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s advisory on alcohol and cancer risk on Jan. 3, 2025. It called for updated warning labels on alcoholic beverage containers to indicate that drinking alcohol carries an increased risk for at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colon, and liver cancer.
Indigenous cultural humility in substance use care (podcast)
In this episode of the Addiction Practice Pod, journalist David P. Ball and outreach primary care physician Dr. Terri Aldred discuss the importance of culturally safe and trauma informed substance use care for Indigenous communities. Dr. Aldred shares how her lived experience informs her medical practice, caring for Indigenous Peoples experiencing challenges rooted in colonialism, systemic racism, and health inequities.
Brain injury after non-fatal overdose: A rising concern (webinar on-demand)
If you missed this webinar live, it’s now available to watch on-demand. Brain injuries resulting from non-fatal opioid overdoses are an emerging healthcare concern for people who use drugs. Evidence indicates that the rate of non-fatal overdoses is approximately 15 times higher than the rate of fatal overdoses, underscoring the number of individuals that could be at risk for brain injury. This webinar provides an overview of emerging evidence on overdose-related brain injury, including how brain injury occurs, its effects on cognitive and physical functioning, and how common it is.
Substance Use Health Network
Formerly known as the National Safer Supply Community of Practice, the Substance Use Health Network represents the next step in our shared journey toward health, dignity, and evidence-based support for people who use substances. This evolving network brings together people who use drugs, healthcare providers, social care providers, researchers, policy makers, and advocates from across Canada—creating space for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and community-led innovation.
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]