Industry update BC to request federal exemption to decriminalize drug possession Health Canada to consider provincewide exemption for all drugs in BC amid ongoing overdose crisis Jared GnamApril 14, 2021
Industry update White House makes curbing overdose deaths top drug priority In a statement, the Biden-Harris administration says it intends to expand treatment and lessen inequity. Advocates criticize the plan for upping enforcement Natalia Buendia CalvilloApril 5, 2021
Industry update Oregon fast tracking $20M in harm-reduction funds In the midst of an overdose crisis, state treatment and recovery organizations are lauding the move to get funding where it's of immediate need Nick LabaMarch 24, 2021
Canada Provincial pot squad move to evict VCBC despite support from BC safety minister Canada's longest running compassion club is asking for letters of support in its application for a federal exemption from the Cannabis Act Natalia Buendia CalvilloFebruary 18, 2021
Data Cannabis significantly reduces prescription opioid use: Tilray patient study In the first substitution study to track individual use over time, researchers found stark drops in use of opioids and other medications Nick LabaJanuary 22, 2021
News Canadian cannabis laws kick Vancouver harm-reduction project to the curb Despite backing from researchers and city officials, The Serious Hope Society was given seven days to leave its storefront by a judge last Friday Michelle GamageOctober 28, 2020
Enforcement Illicit ‘life-saving’ Vancouver dispensary at risk of shutdown The Serious Hope Society is asking Ottawa for an exemption from federal cannabis law. Its landlord and city staff might shutter it before one... Michelle GamageOctober 8, 2020
Analysis Daily cannabis users 26% more likely to stop injecting opioids: study Results should be used by policy makers to save lives during the overdose crisis, says cannabis and addiction scientist M-J Milloy Michelle GamageSeptember 16, 2020
Canada ‘It actually works’: Vancouver study shares stories of youth choosing weed over harder drugs Authors of the rare qualitative research say health services must incorporate evidence that cannabis can reduce more harmful substance use Nick LabaJuly 30, 2020
COVID-19 Canadians drinking, smoking 15% more during Covid-19: Red Cross Red Cross warns pandemic will act as 'magnifier of pre-existing vulnerabilities' Michelle GamageJuly 3, 2020