Last September, as Oregon faced an ever-increasing rate of fatal drug overdoses, a new study concluded the state’s first-in-the-U.S. decriminalization policy was not to blame. The study found that based on similar overdose rates in other states before and after the first year of decriminalization, overdose deaths in Oregon would have risen at essentially the … Read more
The federal government is granting B.C.‘s request to once again ban the public use of illicit drugs, Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks said on Parliament Hill on Tuesday. “This is a health crisis, not a criminal one. That being said, communities need to be safe,” Saks said. “People need to have confidence that … Read more
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his treatment-centric approach to tackle the opioid crisis would face significant challenges if he was prime minister. “Oh, it will definitely be a challenge,” Poilievre said in an interview with Global News’ Focus B.C. host Richard Zussman in Ottawa on Thursday when asked about staffing additional treatment facilities and finding … Read more
Federal Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks says the government remains “wholeheartedly committed” to working with British Columbia as the premier wants to scale back the province’s drug decriminalization exemption. The goal is to allow police to intervene in public illicit drug use following reports of drug use in places like hospitals and Tim … Read more
More than one in four deaths among young Canadians between 2019 and 2021 were opioid-related, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased use of fentanyl potentially playing significant roles, according to new research. A study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) found that during the same years, premature deaths related to opioids … Read more
Eight years to the day after British Columbia declared a public health emergency, Premier David Eby said the toxic drug crisis has had a “catastrophic impact” on families and communities. “Every life taken by this crisis is a loss to our community — they are friends, parents, siblings and children. To the families, friends and … Read more
Peer-reviewed research is emerging about the possible impact of British Columbia’s safer supply program, which provides prescription alternatives to toxic illicit drugs. Two studies in international medical journals cast the strategy in a different light. One found the program was associated with a reduced risk of death from overdose and other causes among opioid-using participants, … Read more
The federal Liberal government is rejecting a proposal from the Alberta government to consider adding a “unique chemical identifier” to the pharmaceuticals being offered to users as an alternative to street drugs. Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks wrote Monday to her counterpart in Alberta, saying that while she takes concerns about diversion seriously, … Read more
Weight loss jabs could be a new weapon in the battle against drug addiction, quelling cravings for powerful narcotics as well as calories. The injections, including Wegovy, are being offered on the NHS to people who are obese via specialist weight management services. Now, a US study suggests the relatively cheap treatment could be as … Read more
Fatal drug overdoses from smoking substances, rather than injection, has increased dramatically in the United States, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found. Injection-related overdoses were previously the most commonly documented route for drug deaths in the country. However, a report published Thursday found that the rate decreased by … Read more
