Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
Toronto’s drug checking pilot to expand
In November of 2023, the Toronto Drug Checking Service announced its plans to expand its service, after receiving a new federal grant from Health Canada for the recipients of the Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP). The grant will provide $21 million in funds...
Windsor struggles to combat toxic drug supply
As Ontario is grappling with a growing drug poisoning crisis, health workers in the Windsor region have been increasingly faced with the challenge of harm reduction as new and increasingly deadly street drugs emerge. In 2022, fentanyl was a factor in the majority of...
Alberta opioid deaths reach record levels
According to recent data released by the Alberta provincial government, 1,411 Albertans died from opioid poisonings in 2023 compared to 1,124 at the same time last year, which corresponds to a more than 25% increase over nine months. Earlier in 2023, the Alberta...
Update on medicinal cannabis use in Canada
Health Canada published updated data on cannabis use for medical purposes in 2023, looking at usage and prescription patterns amongst other things. The Canadian government originally granted access to medical cannabis to individuals diagnosed with severe illnesses...
Canada works hard to stop illegal drugs crossing border
A recent article published by CBC News and authored by Christian Paas-Lang examined Canada’s efforts and challenges to stop illegal drugs at the border. As the toxic drug crisis continues, smugglers have been employing increasingly creative and complex ways to...
Changes coming for alcohol sales in Ontario
Over the last months, Premier Doug Ford's government has been carrying out closed-door consultations with alcohol industry leaders in order to bring change to alcohol sale regulations in Ontario. While the primary goal of the alcohol reforms is to fulfill Ford’s 2018...
December 2023 DATAC Newsletter
Welcome to DATAC's last Newsletter of 2023! In this quarter's newsletter you will find an article which goes over the various methods for forensic testing and their sensitivity as well as ease of use. This will help you to understand how the various types of testing...
Canadian made fentanyl an international problem
A recent CBC article authored by Christian Paas-Lang examined seizures of fentanyl precursors at the U.S. border to be transformed into fentanyl by Canadian organized crime groups in Canada. According to Mathieu Bertrand, chief superintendent of Serious and Organized...
Health Canada promises $21 million to support harm reduction
Earlier in October, a news release on the federal government’s website announced that over $21 million in federal funding will be provided for 52 projects involved in harm reduction through Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP). Specifically,...