For the first time in 83 years, people in the United States are more likely to die of drug poisoning than in a motor vehicle accident. The national prescription painkiller epidemic is largely to blame for this shift, and approximately 41 people in the United States die every day of a drug overdose involving prescription painkillers. Communities have been struggling to deal with not only the mortality associated with this epidemic, but also the increase in crime related to prescription drug trafficking and the rapidly-increasing number of patients needing substance abuse treatment. Read more »
A spectre is haunting the world – the spectre of drug policy reform. All the powers of the old world have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: the Pope and the UN drug czar, Putin and Obama, Chinese party officials and American prosecutors. Read more »
A team of researchers Wednesday recommended the creation of two supervised injection facilities in Ottawa and three in Toronto.
After what is thought to be the broadest study of its kind, the researchers concluded that such facilities would improve the health and reduce harm among drug users. They could also reduce public drug use and save money for the health system, they said.
"We projected that supervised injection facilities would prevent HIV and hepatitis C infections and result in multiple benefits for people who use drugs in Toronto and Ottawa," said the University of Toronto's Carol Strike, who led the research with Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Read more »
A shift away from punishing low-level drug users and giving them better access to specialist treatment would dramatically reduce the harm of drug abuse in Australia, including crime, addiction experts say.
While politicians and police have rejected a move towards decriminalisation, health workers said there was an urgent need to discuss a new approach.
The director of Addiction Medicine at St Vincent's Hospital, Professor Jon Currie, said although police should try to stop large-scale cultivation and trafficking, the threat of criminal sanctions was unhelpful for users, who should be able to access treatment without fear. Read more »
Prominent public health figures are speaking out against the way Ottawa approaches drug policy, asserting that the government is putting ideology over hard facts.
An analysis published Wednesday in the journal Open Medicine calls on the federal government to shift the focus of its drug strategy from law enforcement to health and harm reduction.
Among the study's authors are the chief medical health officers for British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, who critique Ottawa's anti-drug legislation, which includes mandatory minimum prison sentences for minor drug law offences. Read more »
Crimes committed by known drug-dependent offenders fell by almost half when they successfully completed a drug treatment programme, according to new research published today. The largest empirical study ever conducted in England on the impact of drug treatment on crime also showed a similar drop in convictions among those retained in treatment for up to two years. The longer those individuals were retained, the bigger the drop in convictions. Read more »
Here are the top lines from the Guardian/Mixmag drug use survey: 15,500 people responded, 60% through the Guardian, 7,700 in the UK, and they were all active drug users, which was defined as having taken drugs in the last three months. Read more »
Reporting from San Francisco— Heroin shooters, speed users, pot smokers and even some men and women who now are drug-free convene regularly in this city's gritty Tenderloin district — not for treatment, but to discuss public health policy and share their experiences free from shame or blame.
On this particular evening, the dozen or so in attendance had some pressing questions, including how those heading to a users' conference in Oregon this fall would obtain their methadone or safely procure other drugs to use in a supervised injection room. Read more »
Toronto Public Health says demand for referrals to methadone clinics in the city has tripled in the last week, after the prescription painkiller OxyContin was discontinued.
"Normally, we would see maybe five or six people coming in in a week asking for methadone treatment, and now we're seeing about three times that number," said Dr. Rita Shahin, an associate medical officer of health. "It's hard to know how much OxyContin is still out there on the street and whether that demand for services will increase as more people are worried about going into withdrawal."
Shahin says another concern is addicts turning to other prescription painkillers, such as the fentanyl patch. Fentanyl is a much stronger opioid than OxyContin. Read more »
"I could be dead right now," said Heather Koller, speaking at a Calgary drug conference Saturday.
Koller started injecting drugs when she was 15. Now clean, she's working on an initiative targeting those who are most influential within the drug community: dealers.
The idea of harm reduction is a central theme at this weekend’s conference at the University of Calgary. It's being put on by the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy group.
Koller, from Thunder Bay, Ont., says her project involves giving dealers clean needles to distribute to clients.
"Harm reduction is non-judgmental. It meets people where they're at," said Koller. Read more »
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For the first time in 83 years, people in the United States are more likely to die of drug poisoning than in a motor vehicle accident. The national prescription painkiller epidemic is largely to blame for this shift, and approximately 41 people in the United States die every day of a drug overdose involving prescription painkillers. Communities have been struggling to deal with not only the mortality associated with this epidemic, but also the increase in crime related to prescription drug trafficking and the rapidly-increasing number of patients needing substance abuse treatment. 
A spectre is haunting the world – the spectre of drug policy reform. All the powers of the old world have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: the Pope and the UN drug czar, Putin and Obama, Chinese party officials and American prosecutors. 
A shift away from punishing low-level drug users and giving them better access to specialist treatment would dramatically reduce the harm of drug abuse in Australia, including crime, addiction experts say.
Prominent public health figures are speaking out against the way Ottawa approaches drug policy, asserting that the government is putting ideology over hard facts.
Crimes committed by known drug-dependent offenders fell by almost half when they successfully completed a drug treatment programme, according to new research published today. The largest empirical study ever conducted in England on the impact of drug treatment on crime also showed a similar drop in convictions among those retained in treatment for up to two years. The longer those individuals were retained, the bigger the drop in convictions. 
Here are the top lines from the Guardian/Mixmag drug use survey: 15,500 people responded, 60% through the Guardian, 7,700 in the UK, and they were all active drug users, which was defined as having taken drugs in the last three months. 
Reporting from San Francisco— Heroin shooters, speed users, pot smokers and even some men and women who now are drug-free convene regularly in this city's gritty Tenderloin district — not for treatment, but to discuss public health policy and share their experiences free from shame or blame.
Toronto Public Health says demand for referrals to methadone clinics in the city has tripled in the last week, after the prescription painkiller OxyContin was discontinued.
"I could be dead right now," said Heather Koller, speaking at a Calgary drug conference Saturday.
