A police policy of not making arrests for simple possession is a way to essentially decriminalize personal drug use. However, confiscating drugs — even without arrests — can be harmful in many ways.
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Articles on Overdose
Displaying 1 - 20 of 49 articles
The US has seen a huge rise in drug deaths in the past decade involving a stimulant and a depressant.
Most consumables in Canada have quality controls that inform purchasing and consumption decisions. People who use illicit drugs deserve the same. Drug checking provides that harm-reduction service.
Harm reduction is grounded in evidence. But policies, stigma and ignorance about substance use still create barriers in battling Canada’s drug poisoning crisis.
Unlike opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl that travel throughout the body, the opioids your body produces are released in small quantities to specific locations.
Acetaminophen is one of the most commonly used drugs, yet acetaminophen overdose is a leading cause of liver damage. It can be easily prevented.
Xylazine, or tranq, is increasingly being mixed with drugs like fentanyl or heroin and can be difficult to detect. Most people who use drugs are unable to tell if they have been exposed to it.
From ‘Breaking Bad’ to James Bond, certain chemicals are popular options for characters looking to achieve nefarious ends.
More than 50 overdoses happen in bathrooms every month in British Columbia. Public bathrooms can be made safer for everyone, including people who use substances.
Australians bought more than 65 million packs of paracetamol pain relief last year. TGA efforts to reduce its potential harms will need to take those who use it to manage pain into consideration.
Fentanyl’s wide availability in the drug supply has led to an increase in unintentional overdoses. While prevention strategies are available, limited availability stymies their use.
We researched how much difference opioids like codeine, oxycodone or morphine make to osteoarthritis pain. We found they helped about as much as paracetamol. Yet they are far more dangerous.
False narratives about drug addiction and policies that are not supported by research are deepening the overdose epidemic in the US.
Side-effects for this unproven and potentially dangerous treatment range from vomiting and diarrhoea to seizures and a coma.
Fentanyl adulteration led to the replacement of heroin in the unregulated drug supply of British Columbia. Now that benzodiazepines are present in many opioids, are we headed towards a ‘new normal?’
Decriminalization is an important step in addressing the overdose crisis, but it is crucial that other approaches — like regulation — are also in place.
Across the country, overdose deaths have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Office for National Statistics reports the highest drug deaths since records began in 1993.
Our new research suggests the COVID-19 pandemic has meant people are using illicit drugs less. But decreased use can mean higher risk of overdoses.
New rules attempt to curb opioid-related deaths in Australia. These changes are a step in the right direction – but we need to tread carefully to avoid unintended consequences.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor of the Sydney Pharmacy School, University of Sydney
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Honorary Fellow, Department of Health Sciences, University of York
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Professor of Neuropharmacology and Head of School of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire
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Professor of Emergency Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School
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PhD Candidate, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia
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Professor, Chemistry, University of Victoria
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Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
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Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) student, University of Toronto
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Professor and Deputy Director, Monash Addiction Research Centre, Monash University
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Senior Lecturer of Addiction, Edith Cowan University
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Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne), Curtin University
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Palliative Medicine Physician, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne
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Master of Arts student, Social Dimensions of Health Program, University of Victoria
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Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University
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Executive Clinical Director, Turning Point & Director of Monash Addiction Research Centre, Monash University
