Here's a collection of our coverage of addiction-related issues, including Vancouver and B.C.'s opioid and overdose crisis, mental-health issues, various forms of addiction (including smoking, alcohol, sex, and gambling), harm reduction, treatment and therapies, and more.

For further coverage about mental-health issues, visit this webpage.

Straight Talk

Patients in the U.S. are organizing protests in demand of prescription opioids for legitimate pain

As authorities have struggled to find an effective response to the overdose epidemic, they’ve created a second group of victims, and one that receives significantly less attention.

Straight Talk

Fatal overdoses decline in first quarter of 2019 but remain miles above what B.C. once considered normal

For the first time in years, there’s a glimmer of hope in B.C.’s latest bi-monthly report on drug-overdose deaths.

News Features

Carl Hart is coming to Vancouver for a grownup talk about drugs

At the Vogue Theatre on May 23, the author and neuroscientist plans to dispel misconceptions about addiction that he argues are costing lives.

Commentary

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth won't act on B.C. health officer's evidence-based plan to save drug users' lives

B.C.’s top health official has unveiled a radical yet pragmatic plan for the province to eliminate criminal penalties for drug possession, but her government says it won't use it.

Commentary

Scott Elliott: Canada’s opioid crisis needs medical intervention, not judgment

The Dr. Peter Centre's executive director makes the case that client-centred support promotes self-care, leading to better health outcomes.

Straight Talk

B.C. should decriminalize drug possession to reduce fentanyl deaths—province's top doctor outlines a plan

A major report by the provincial health officer recommends B.C. bypass Ottawa and drop criminal penalties for people caught with drugs.

Straight Talk

Regulate supply or deaths will continue, hundreds cry in Vancouver's annual march to end the overdose crisis

The theme for the 2019 National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis was "safe supply," a call for the government to offer clean alternatives to street drugs that often contain fentanyl.

Straight Talk

Drug-policy advocates plan parade through downtown Vancouver as united call for "safe supply"

This year’s National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis will see protests held in more than 20 cities across Canada.

Commentary

White House claim of fentanyl-laced cannabis leads back to Vancouver police, who say there is no fentanyl in cannabis

How, exactly, did the Vancouver police become a footnote for a doubtful comment from the White House?

News Features

Law-enforcement seizures reveal fentanyl's creep into heroin and now cocaine

In 2018, the province for the first time surpassed 1,500 fatal overdoses in a single year.

Straight Talk

B.C. sets another depressing record with more than 1,500 overdose deaths recorded in 2018

For the first time, 2018 saw British Columbia suffer more than 1,500 fatal overdoses in a single year.

News Features

Vancouver police stats suggest a softer touch on drugs but users say it's a different story on the streets

On paper, it appears that Vancouver police are waging the war on drugs with a lot less enthusiasm these days. On the streets, however, drug users and legal advocates report it’s a different story.