We know young drivers will put themselves in risky situations, which is why strategies to minimise harm also need to be part of their education.
When people are in a group they are more likely to engage in aggressive and risky behaviours they may not normally do on their own.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
To make sure what happened at Queen’s University during homecoming weekends doesn’t happen again, we need to have classroom conversations now, and make bold and innovative changes to identify long-term solutions.
Now restrictions are easing, some people who have not used alcohol or other drugs recently may start to use them again, and need to be aware of their reduced tolerance.
Fears that TikTok is “serving up” drug content to impressionable users have prompted calls for all drug content to be censored on the platform. But that would remove useful health advice too.
Advocating for decriminalization carries many benefits, including reducing the need for police involvement.
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Decriminalization is an important step in addressing the overdose crisis, but it is crucial that other approaches — like regulation — are also in place.
Holiday gatherings with family and friends before the pandemic seemed so simple.
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The president wants Americans to be able to celebrate Independence Day with small gatherings. What will it take to get the virus under control by then? Three public health school deans explain.
People gather in Trinity Bellwoods park for a weed bubble blowing event in Toronto on Oct. 17, 2018, the day cannabis became legal in Canada.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
If the goal of cannabis legalization was to protect public health and safety, education and awareness campaigns must normalize safe cannabis use, not stop cannabis consumption.
According to Oregon law, possessing a small amount of drugs for personal consumption is now a civil – rather than criminal – offense.
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Possessing heroin, cocaine, meth and other drugs for personal use is no longer a criminal offense in Oregon. The idea is to get people with problem drug use help, not punishment.
Amid the controversy over Sydney’s lockout laws, a program that looked out for people at risk of harm in the city’s nightlife precincts more than proved its worth.
The concept of Buddy Circles expands the designated driver role to include broader substance use and other risks.
(Pexels/Martin Lopez)
Buddy circles expand on the concept of a designated driver, encompassing other substances and risks — including COVID-19 and social media — to build a harm mitigation strategy for the 21st century.
From 2021, Australians will no longer be able to buy nicotine-containing e-fluids, without both a prescription and someone licensed to import it for them, raising fears many will go back to smoking.
Quaranteams offer a way to limit the risk of infection while also maintaining social contacts and mental health.
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People are turning to quarantine bubbles as a way to see friends and family while limiting the risk from the coronavirus. Research shows that this can work, but it’s not easy to be in a quaranteam.
Many LGBTQ+ people at risk for overdose are left out of harm reduction efforts.
(Unsplash/Delia Giandeini)
The overdose crisis — coupled with a lack of accessible harm reduction services — represents a growing concern for young queer and trans men who use drugs.
Just around 3% of teens have used MDMA (ecstasy) in the past year.
Franz Pfluegl/Shutterstock
Few teens use MDMA and scare tactics, like those we’ve seen recently, are unlikely to reduce existing drug use further.
Naloxone, available as a nasal spray called Narcan or in injectable form, resuscitates 100% of people who overdose if administered quickly.
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Opioid overdoses killed 47,000 Americans in 2017 — more than gun violence. Many fewer would have died if they’d been treated with the life-saving drug naloxone, also called Narcan.
Assistant Professor, Dept of Medicine, University of British Columbia and Research Scientist with the BC Centre on Substance Use, University of British Columbia