‘Street sweeps’ increase overdose and violence risks, study finds

September 22, 2025 oceansidecat 0

– by Michelle Gamage, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee – When city workers confiscate personal belongings like tents and harm reduction supplies from people sheltering on the street, it increases their risk of non-fatal overdose and physical and sexual violence, according to a new study. Colloquially known as “street sweeps,” the practice refers […]

Massive Study Flips Our Story of Addiction and the Brain

July 17, 2025 oceansidecat 0

Brain differences in children and teens who experiment with drugs early show up before they take their first puff or sip – Reprinted from Scientific American By Maia Szalavitz edited by Allison Parshall For decades, Americans have been told a simple story about addiction: taking drugs damages the brain—and the […]

Homelessness is a policy failure, not a crime

December 13, 2024 oceansidecat 0

From the Wellesley Institute. Read the source study here The number of people living in encampments across the province has been growing in recent years. At least 1,400 encampments were reported across Ontario in 2023. The growth demonstrates how current social and economic policy is failing more and more people.  […]

Canada’s Alcohol Deficit – 2007-2020

August 8, 2024 oceansidecat 0

From the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. In 2020, Canada had an alcohol deficit of $6.4 billion, despite 100 years of harm reduction measures and a regulated safer supply. Canada’s Alcohol Deficit, 2007–2020: Social Cost, Public Revenue, Magnitudes of Alcohol Use, and the Per-Drink Net Deficit for a […]

PHO recommends prescribed safer supply policy continue

July 12, 2024 oceansidecat 0

A report released by Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer (PHO), provides a review of the provincial prescribed safer supply (PSS) policy and makes recommendations aimed at improving the lives of people who use drugs in B.C. and supporting clinicians in this work. https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024HLTH0011-000122

Peterborough safer supply pilot shares program evaluation

June 15, 2024 oceansidecat 0

From Peterborough Currents by Will Pearson Participants’ lives are stabilizing and improving thanks to safer supply prescriptions, clinic researchers find. Participants of a safer supply program in downtown Peterborough have experienced positive changes in their lives — including reduced use of fentanyl and fewer overdoses — since enrolling in the […]