The B.C. government wants to seize the storefront of a Victoria cannabis “compassion club,” even though the club's operators haven’t been criminally charged. zurl.co/D59mF

No more ‘just say no’ — Canadian schools will soon have a roadmap to address student substance use

Updated Canadian recommendations aim to totally reconfigure how health professionals talk to their patients about alcohol, and reflect reflect evolving evidence on alcohol-related health risks. Read the full press release from the BCCSU: buff.ly/qDyN97K #research #healthcare #healthresearch

Saskatoon fire department responds to “staggering” increase in overdoses, coinciding with closure of Prairie Harm Reduction supervised consumption site www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Opioid overdose survivors face higher death risk after hospital release than previously thought, study shows. Repeat overdose and death rates were lower prior to the arrival of fentanyl, by @alannasmith.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... via @theglobeandmail.com #ToxicDrugCrisis

“I believe that people are generally good, and when given the right evidence and stories, we’re built to be compassionate.” Five months in, @streetdrjill has 100,000 followers and comments flooded with shows of support and changing minds. 🩺📱 Sydney Lobe reports.

And editorial from CISUR researchers expresses scepticism about recent claims in the European Heart Journal that drinking wine daily has health benefits. academic.oup.com/eurheartj/ad...

Are psychedelics an effective treatment for traumatic brain injuries? Early evidence shows promise! 🧠🍄 🔗 learn about this largely unexplored topic: news.uvic.ca/media-releas...

B.C. children's representative says drug crisis having staggering impact on kids

Hundreds of websites sell weed and other drugs to Canadians openly and illegally. Why taking them down is like “whack-a-mole.” zurl.co/kgR6I

Inside a B.C. company’s effort to bring inhalable heroin therapy to market in Canada. Veteran public health leaders push for new treatment option on 10th anniversary of province’s toxic drug crisis, by @andreawoo.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/briti... via @theglobeandmail.com

Dr. Timothy Naimi, Director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and Professor in the Division of Medical Sciences at UVic, discusses an important development in alcohol consumption which has widespread implications for health and society. theconversation.com/why-is-alcoh...

CISUR Director Tim Naimi offers several possible factors that have led to a decline in alcohol use in Canada for @ca.theconversation.com. theconversation.com/why-is-alcoh...

"Bernie Pauly, a professor in the University of Victoria school of nursing and a scientist with CISUR, said B.C. is stuck in a cycle of “ongoing, tragic and preventable loss,” because it is still operating in a criminalized environment of prohibition." thetyee.ca/News/2026/04...

“The Europeans were able to see harm reduction as a non-political issue, meaning neither left nor right (were) like, ‘This is a bad policy issue.'" CISUR's Jaime Arredondo in @victorianews.bsky.social @uvichealth.bsky.social @uvic.ca vicnews.com/2026/04/12/t...

“Public knowledge really matters in terms of being able to scale up these interventions.” #UVic researchers (CISUR's Bernie Pauly and Karen Urbanoski) discuss why B.C. couldn’t replicate Portugal’s drug strategy, via @victorianews.bsky.social vicnews.com/2026/04/09/u...

"As countries such as the UK consider strengthening alcohol labelling and pricing policies, the evidence indicates that a combination of policies is likely to deliver the greatest gains."

We are creating space in the Naming a Crisis exhibit for healthcare workers to participate by sharing messages about their experiences in the crisis.

CISUR is a co-sponsor of Naming a Crisis, a community art show marking 10 years since BC's overdose emergency declaration. Runs 12pm-5pm, Tuesday-Sunday, April 7-26 at the Victoria Arts Council Gallery in the Bay Centre, 1150 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC. Full details at namingacrisis.ca

“It’s not really fair that drinkers don’t have all the information in front of them to be able to decide what risks they want to take on for themselves." CISUR/ @ccsacanada.bsky.social scientist Adam Sherk in @aptnnews.bsky.social www.aptnnews.ca/national-new...

📢 Call for Abstracts: 2026 Health Research Day Submission Deadline: Friday, March 20th 🔗 Submit your abstract here: onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/healthresear...

Congratulations to all this year's recipients! Ashley is being recognized here for her work on the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation, which is a project led by CISUR and CAMH.

In Canada, alcohol caused about 9,500 new cancer cases and nearly 3,900 deaths in 2022. Research in The Lancet shows that warning labels can help people make informed choices and reduce risk. Read the article: https://bit.ly/3OYsJYe

Congratulations to CISUR collaborating scientist Dennis Hore, and all the other REACH winners! Dennis is the recipient of the Research Impact Award, and his contributions to the #drugchecking field have been significant.

5 Days for the Homeless Month #cjph_rcsp Homeless encampments: connecting public health and human rights (Olson & Pauly) link.springer.com/article/1... #PublicHealth Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.

"While cannabis sales increased, alcohol sales revenue ($13.1 billion) declined over the same period by 4.2%, the largest annual decrease since Statistics Canada began tracking this series in 2004/05."

“Alcohol is responsible for too large a burden of disease to have absolutely no information on its labels about any of the health effects. It kind of goes against the consumer’s right to know.” -CISUR scientist Adam Sherk in @timescolonist.bsky.social www.timescolonist.com/life/alcohol...

“We believe this is the first study to model the impacts of warning labels on cancer cases and deaths,” said Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research scientist Adam Sherk. @uvic.ca

“These are evidence-based policies that jurisdictions are considering — there’s a cancer-warning bill in the Canadian Senate right now, and some provinces have implemented or are thinking about implementing minimum unit pricing — but they’re under-used." news.uvic.ca/media-releas...

"Blacklock's Reporter says the move comes despite the Canadian Medical Association backing the legislation, which links alcohol to 17,000 preventable deaths in Canada each year." www.westernstandard.news/news/ottawa-...

CISUR and CCSA have released new substance use prevalence charts, which you can view using an interactive tool! Some trends... Cannabis use: 📈 Alcohol use: 📉

BC Coroners Service: 1,826 ppl died from drug toxicity in 2025 (approximately 21% decrease from 2024), according to preliminary data. 136 and 141 deaths in Nov and Dec respectively, equating to about 4.5 deaths per day.

Congrats to CISUR post-doc James Clay, one of this year's Science Meets Parliament delegates.

Next week! 'No Fixed Address: The White Cart Memorial' & panel discussion. A powerful, intimate doc that sheds light on a deeply overlooked aspect of the homelessness crisis: grief after the death of those they cared about. Thurs Feb 19 1 - 4pm Cinecenta, UVic Free; Register: tinyurl.com/mr36xzk2

Research shows a rise in emergency department visits linked to Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome. Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain are key warning signs and linked to frequent cannabis use. Our latest brief examines the data and outlines the implications for public health. 🔗https://bit.ly/3LZCRyJ

"Lifelong patterns of alcohol use can begin in college, and findings indicate that state alcohol policies are a foundation on which community- and campus-level preventive efforts can build."

Inside B.C.’s decriminalization pilot as experienced by people who use drugs, by Matthew Bonn blog.catie.ca/2026/01/26/i... via CATIE

"The #BC Centre for Disease Control has issued a warning about the increase in drug poisonings seen throughout the province of #BritishColumbia. The warning was issued January 26 to people that use illicit substances" #medetomidine #fentanyl #Canada www.hashilthsa.com/news/2026-01...

"Dr. Tim Naimi, a physician, alcohol epidemiologist and director of @uviccisur.bsky.social, said when you subtract tax revenue from the cost of each standard drink sold in Ontario, it costs taxpayers about 30 cents more than what is earned by the government."

"'Men drink more, binge-drink more and generally do dumber things when impaired,' said Tim Naimi, director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and another author of the alcohol report." via @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/h...

"Despite the hard work and good intentions behind the pilot, it has not delivered the results we hoped for. For that reason, we will not be asking the federal government to renew the exemption." -BC Minister of Health Josie Osborne on #decrim. news.gov.bc.ca/releases/202...

Canada changed their alcohol consumption guidelines in 2023, making global headlines for a steep drop in “low risk” drinking. Tim Stockwell explains how these recommendations were developed and what to make of the U.S.’s new guidelines. 🎧 podcast.publichealth.jhu.edu/996-canadas-...

Join us for our next webinar series! 🖥️ Our first session is Jan. 27, about how the National Wastewater Drug Surveillance initiative can help with the drug crisis 🔗Register now! https://ow.ly/xzjl50XWpEp #webinars #SubstanceUseHealth #SmallCitiesInitiative

Welcome, Matthew!

Public Health 2026: Registration is OPEN. Start with the introductory program—your first look at priority topics, ideas, and evidence shaping public health in Canada. Early bird registration ends Feb 13. Register now: www.cpha.ca/publichealth... #ph26sp

"[CISUR Director Tim] Naimi said he had hoped that guidelines would be tighter, calling for no more than a few drinks per week, or no more than one per day for men and women."

B.C.'s drug decriminalization pilot is up for renewal Jan 31. Premier David Eby says decriminalized public drug use will not return, but it remains to be seen if the trial will continue in any iteration. Currently limited largely to private residences. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/briti...

"For the first time, recommendations for drinking were handled in a separate process from the rest of the nutritional advice, with two separate studies commissioned to inform the alcohol guidelines." www.reuters.com/business/hea...

"There's new science. There's new data." CISUR scientist Tim Stockwell is one of several alcohol researchers interviewed as part of CBC's the Nature of Things piece, The New Science of Alcohol. You can view it on CBC Gem, or via YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXTE...