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: 📉

"We've got all the evidence about how to address homelessness & substance use... the studies we need now are why do politicians not listen to evidence" - Dr Wiwcharuk paraphrasing Dr Urbanoski (2 smart cookies) @uviccisur.bsky.social @jodypaterson.bsky.social @dsdp.ca www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

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...

This year saw the launch of knowalcohol.ca, a website enabling users to better understand Canada's guidance on alcohol and health. Full AR2025 presentation alcohol-review.com/alcohol-revi... Participate next year alcohol-review.com/ar2026 @uviccisur.bsky.social

"Dr Tim Stockwell of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research says those who continue to drink may simply be those who have not yet become unwell." via @economist.com www.economist.com/christmas-sp...

Withdrawal? Crime? Other drug use? A comprehensive review of minimum unit pricing found these fears don’t materialise – while health benefits do. In our latest blog, Dr James Clay of @uviccisur.bsky.social explains. www.ias.org.uk/2025/12/18/m...

This is a recent paper by CISUR researchers! "Findings revealed that the mean daily MAP-provided alcohol consumption dropped from 8.08 to 6.45 standard drinks following the program’s introduction."

CISUR's #KnowAlcohol project is part of this list! Stay tuned for another campaign coming in January =)

"According to Timothy Stockwell, a scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, reducing alcohol consumption can significantly reduce a person’s risk of developing or worsening chronic diseases associated with drinking." www.advisory.com/daily-briefi...

“There’s a lot of public misunderstanding of what decriminalization was intended to do." Because the government put no effort or resources into properly explaining what it might reasonably do. www.timescolonist.com/local-news/d... #bcpoli #decrim #recrim

Human Rights Day #cjph_rcsp Homeless encampments: connecting public health and human rights (Olson & Pauly) link.springer.com/article/1... #PublicHealth Photo by Boris Busorgin on Unsplash.

“The youth were the experts, and we honoured that." Learn more about the Lower Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines for Youth, by Youth project. www.uvic.ca/research-inn...

Work from CISUR researchers is one of JSAD's top downloaded 2024 publications!

“The largest reductions we saw in drug-related offences in Victoria happened in 2020 and 2021, before decriminalization was being openly discussed by the provincial government as a policy,” said Alexander Kuzma-Hunt, the paper’s lead author. www.timescolonist.com/local-news/d...

This afternoon’s presentations at CCSA’s Issues of Substance will cover alcohol labels, substance use health in Northern communities, and enhancing care for youth. Here’s today’s schedule: https://ow.ly/Fzjs50XrYxB #CCSAConference

A higher proportion of Island Health residents use alcohol, tobacco and cannabis regularly than the B.C. average, according to a new report by the health authority.

CISUR Scientist Jaime Arredondo will be moderating this session on November 26.

Congrats to Andrea and all the other grads convocating today!

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to @drscotthadland.bsky.social's talk on adolescent overdose in North America on November 4. For those who wouldn't make it, you can view a recording on our YouTube page: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR_8...

📣 DULF found guilty for life-saving compassion club 📣 But WAIT! Not so fast… drugdatadecoded.ca/court-finds-...