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
International Overdose Awareness Day events near you
August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) brings a global community together to take action, remember loved ones, and educate on drug policy, toxic drug supplies, social considerations of drugs use, care and compassion. Canada is hosting over 70 IOAD events!
Province funds Tŝilhqot’in-led healing and wellness model
First Nations people living with substance-use challenges will soon benefit from a new Tŝilhqot’in-led healing and wellness model as the Province provides $8.3 million for recovery supports. This new project is a partnership between the Tŝilhqot’in National Government and Red Road Recovery. (August 13, 2025)
Invest in evidence: A results-oriented funding plan for Canada’s drug policy
The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition has released their 2025 Pre-Budget Submission, outlining a results-oriented funding plan for Canada’s drug policy. The report examines the shortcomings of current enforcement-focused approaches, the urgent public health impacts of the toxic drug crisis, and evidence-based strategies to improve outcomes through smarter investment in health, harm reduction, and community-led solutions. (August 13, 2025)
Most Overdose Prevention Centers Are Urban. The Spot Was Different
In March 2024, lack of government funding led to the closure of The Spot, the only overdose prevention center (OPC) in the Northern Ontario city of Sudbury. In the September edition of the International Journal of Drug Policy, researchers published a study examining what happened to the community of people who use drugs (PWUD) in Sudbury after The Spot closed its doors. The research focused on systemic exclusion and oppression of marginalized communities. (August 6, 2025)
Research and Education
Can brain stimulation end addiction?
Vaughn Steele an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, and members of his lab have traveled to an addiction treatment center in Middletown, Connecticut, where they are administering a non-invasive treatment known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to patients with treatment-resistant addictions. If successful, the treatment can disrupt addiction cravings and reduce future use.
Global lessons on harm reduction policy and practice: Interview videos from the Harm Reduction International Conference
CATIE attended the recent Harm Reduction International Conference (HR25) in Bogotá, Colombia. This long-running conference brings together researchers, health workers, policymakers and community experts from around the world. Four days of presentations, workshops, networking and art installations created a dynamic forum to share research and practice on harm reduction, drug policy and human rights. Organized around the theme “Sowing Change to Harvest Justice”, the conference explored the intersections of social justice, equity and peace in the context of drug policy.
Seeds of change: Reflections on the international harm reduction movement
People who use drugs are facing crises around the world. On top of increased risk for hepatitis C, HIV and toxic drug poisoning, the harm reduction programs that literally save their lives are under threat. In the face of repression and ever-shifting government priorities, cross-border solidarity is more vital than ever to defend the present and future of harm reduction. This is the context in which thousands of people came together in Bogotá, Colombia, for the 28th Harm Reduction International Conference (HR25).
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]