cocaine

Canadians are dying alone from toxic drugs and experts say easier access to at-home drug-testing strips could help prevent deaths. But they warn the strips have limitations.

In 2021, the Vancouver-based Drug User Liberation Front approached Health Canada with a proposal.

Federal Addictions Minister Ya'ara Saks says she had "deep concerns" about the lack of limits Toronto put on its now-rejected pitch to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugs — and the city health agency's refusal to make any changes.

Advocates for drug users are raising concerns about British Columbia's request for Health Canada to empower police to step in when they see illicit drug use in public spaces, saying it may be a step backward in the fight against the deadly opioid crisis.

A recent court injunction against a law to restrict public drug use in British Columbia denies police a much-anticipated enforcement tool, says a top law enforcement official.

Health Canada has called the opioid crisis one of the most serious public health threats in recent history, and an addictions specialist says everyone can play a part in helping reduce the death toll. All it takes is access to naloxone, a life-saving medication that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose.

Evidence at the trial of a former RCMP intelligence official charged with breaching Canada's secrets law reveals he led a unit expected to work in a complex, high-pressure environment.

A study published recently in the journal Nature Communications Medicine found that temperature spikes due to climate change have led to a marked increase in the number of hospital visits for alcohol-related disorders — such as alcohol poisoning, alcohol withdrawal, and alcohol-induced sleep disorders — in New York state.

British Columbia Premier David Eby says he is "astonished" that Health Canada has granted a cannabis company the right to possess, produce, sell and distribute cocaine.

Decriminalization of people with small amounts of illegal drugs for their own use has become a reality in British Columbia, but substance users and researchers say the change is expected to make little immediate difference because of a toxic drug supply.

Canada’s financial intelligence agency says a wide range of businesses — from food wholesalers to electronics repair services — are being used to disguise the proceeds of illicit cannabis operations.

The only people who seem to oppose this long-overdue change in drug strategy are the ones who keep talking about how much they love freedom and liberty.

A former federal health minister who championed decriminalization in Canada says a three-year model approved for British Columbia may not provide ample evidence to ensure the success of a policy that should have been implemented across the country.

Uruguay, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and the state of Oregon all have introduced some form of decriminalization in an effort to curb overdose deaths.

B.C. has requested a cumulative threshold of 4.5 grams for opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine, but the federal government is mulling a 2.5-gram cumulative threshold, decriminalization advocates say.