CSUCH’s data visualisation tool can be used to estimate substance use trends across the country. The data helps inform programs, practices, and research to protect communities, save lives, and improve the well-being of people in Canada.

Spotlight: Top 3 causes of death due to substance use in Canada 

More than 200 people died each day due to substance use (SU) in 2020 (the latest year for which data are available). That works out to 73,994 deaths that year. The average age of death due to SU was 45 years. Tobacco use caused 63% (46,366) of SU-related deaths, followed by alcohol at 23%...

Background
A non-medicalized safer supply model called a “Compassion Club” has recently been evaluated. The model involved providing rigorously tested and accurately labeled illicit substances to members at cost. Operating for 14 months in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, the initiative aimed to explore the effects and feasibility of this approach among individuals at risk of fatal overdose.

Methods
At the one-year mark, 43 club members completed a survey for this cross-sectional analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the perceived impact of membership on factors like drug use...

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) have developed a new version of a medication for opioid use disorder that could offer longer-lasting treatment. Current medications for opioid addiction often require daily doses, but the new formulation of nor-levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (nor-LAAM) is designed to be taken once a month or less frequently. This long-acting medication has shown promise in reducing opioid use and withdrawal symptoms in rodent models. The goal is to provide an alternative to existing treatments like methadone and buprenorphine, which come with barriers such as...

This guide was drawn from HEALing Communities Study (HCS) learnings to-date and expert insights to provide guidance regarding implementation of ORCCA menu strategies.

SAMHSA’s updated Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit provides guidance to a wide range of individuals on preventing and responding to an overdose. The toolkit also emphasizes that harm reduction and access to treatment are essential aspects of overdose prevention.

The toolkit, designed to augment overdose prevention and reversal training, provides guidance on the role of opioid overdose reversal medications, including naloxone and nalmefene, and how to respond to an overdose. It also contains appendices for specific audiences, including people who use drugs (PWUD), people who take...

Background:

People who have problems with using opioids or other drugs and inject them have shorter lives than most people. Liver diseases, especially, contribute to this. Checking liver stiffness might help find liver problems early. This study looks at how common liver disease is in people who use drugs and how different factors like types of drugs used, hepatitis C, alcohol, weight, age, diabetes, and cholesterol affect liver stiffness.

Methods:

From May 2017 to March 2022, data was collected from 676 people in Western Norway. Most were getting treatment for opioid addiction, while some...

Background

There is little research on lifetime trauma exposure among individuals undergoing medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD). A multisite study examined the prevalence of lifetime trauma and explored differences based on gender, PTSD status, and chronic pain.

Methods

A cross-sectional study examined baseline data from participants (N = 303) enrolled in a randomised controlled trial of a mind–body intervention as an adjunct to MOUD. All participants were stabilised on MOUD. Measures included the Trauma Life Events Questionnaire (TLEQ), the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and...

Background

Physical or mental health commorbidities are common among people with substance use disorders undergoing opioid agonist therapy. Exercise provides many health benefits and can be used both as a preventive and treatment strategy. However, exercise programs for people with substance use disorders on opioid agonist therapy are limited. This study aims to explore their experiences with physical activity, as well as the perceived barriers and facilitators.

Method

Fourteen qualitative interviews were conducted with individuals receiving opioid agonist therapy in outpatient clinics in...

Background

People with opioid use disorder (OUD) are frequently in contact with the court system and have markedly higher rates of fatal opioid overdose. Opioid intervention courts (OIC) were developed to address increasing rates of opioid overdose among court defendants by engaging court staff in identification of treatment need and referral for opioid-related services and building collaborations between the court and OUD treatment systems. The study goal was to understand implementation barriers and facilitators in referring and engaging OIC clients in OUD treatment.

Methods

Semi...