'In Canada in 2020, governments generated CAD $13.3 billion in revenue from alcohol sales, but this was offset by $19.7 billion in social costs attributable to alcohol use. This “alcohol deficit” increased by 122.0% in real-dollar terms over the study period.'

'Their report looks at housing options available to people trying to get out of homelessness in the region — and finds them inadequate.' R2HResearchCluster
cbc.ca/news/canada/br…

Criminalization and a lack of safe inhalation spaces push our members and neighbours into isolation, heightening their risk of fatal overdose.

To respond, the VANDU OPS has gone mobile. Our trained peer leaders have restarted laneway patrols, equipped with overdose response gear

An important point on re-criminalizing illicit drugs in BC

It isn't 'public use' criminalized (as many are reporting), it goes further to criminalize 'possession' in public spaces:

'As of May 7, 2024, we are granting BC’s request to prohibit possession of controlled substances…

So proud of all the hard work of the Housing Justice Project on this report! 💖✨

❤️‍🔥“I’m part of the Housing Justice Project so I can teach people how colonialism causes homelessness.”❤️‍🔥

The report calls for the construction of 2,000 subsidized homes in Greater Victoria annually over the next decade to prevent and end homelessness.

vicnews.com/local-news/vic…

NEW - 192 British Columbians died of toxic drug overdoses in March, says the coroner. That's up 8% from February, but down 11% from March of 2023.
Concerningly, coroner says the death rate for women in 2024 is double the rate from 2020.

On the same day the latest BC Coroners number were released.

192 dead last month.

Coming up 11am PT tomorrow (May 7) in the Co/Lab CoP: 'This is PEEP,' a presentation from the The Peer Engagement and Evaluation Project. Learn more and join the CoP here: colabbc.ca/community-of-p…

.Substance getting a nod in the The New York Times Canada Letter this week, as Vjosa Isai reports on a study trip that brought Mexican scientists, researchers and NGO workers to Canada to learn how Canadian agencies are responding to the toxic drug supply. nytimes.com/2024/05/04/wor…

📰 #UVicintheNews : The New York Times features Dr. Timothy Naimi of CISUR discussing Ireland’s new law mandating cancer warnings on alcohol labels. Learn more on our #UVicScholCom blog: onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/scholarlycommu… UVic Libraries

'Data from the ministry shows that the number of drug seizures dropped from 1,283 to 86 between 2022 and 2023.'

'You can't expect decriminalization to be a silver bullet for what is a more complex problem.' -Lindsey Richardson cbc.ca/news/politics/…

📍 We are committed to fostering health research capacity in all BC regions. Previous C2 & Reach awardees come from across the province including VIU, CISUR, UBC Okanagan, BC Centre for Disease Control, UniversityOfVictoria, Fraser Health, University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). Apply the 2024 competitions: bit.ly/43fMygT

Our weekly report is out for the week of April 22nd showing results from our #drugchecking project in Victoria, BC ( #yyj ). To learn more about our project and to access our monthly and yearly reports, please visit substance.uvic.ca #bcpoli #safesupplyNOW #harmreduction

Manufacturers are required, by Tuesday, to ensure that warnings about harms such as cancer, impotence, leukemia and damage to organs are printed directly on individual cigarettes. Retailers must sell only packages with those cigarettes by July 31. toronto.citynews.ca/2024/04/29/cig…

“We should work toward solutions like housing and mental health supports and instead, they regressed to the only thing they know, which is punishment,” 🍉 Nurse Ranger 💊

Read more: toronto.citynews.ca/2024/04/28/dru…

'“If you’re studying people who survived into middle age, didn’t quit drinking because of a problem and didn’t become a heavy drinker, that’s a very select group,” Naimi said.' ctvnews.ca/health/less-al…

'The province has not adequately increased harm reduction services like overdose prevention sites, expanded safer supply and accessible treatment options that are needed to save lives, say Mullins, Larkin and HRNA.' cbc.ca/news/canada/br…

'A recent study from CCSA shows that net government revenue from alcohol sales in 2020 was $13 billion, while the net social costs from alcohol use were $19 billion, leaving Canadians with a $6 billion alcohol deficit.'