Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
New drug testing machines show what is in Ottawa’s supply
Earlier in September, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) announced that it will begin sharing the results of drug tests conducted at supervised injection sites online to provide information to the public regarding the composition of the city’s illicit drug supply. Moreover,...
B.C. government promises changes to public drug use regulations
Earlier in September, members of the B.C. government discussed making changes to regulations regarding public drug use at the opening session of the 2023 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention. Following the implementation of illicit drug decriminalization in the...
Federal government allots $1.8 million for harm reduction in Hamilton
According to a news release published earlier in September on the Government of Canada website, the federal government will provide funding totaling $1.8 million for three projects in Hamilton through Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP)....
Overdose deaths from multiple substances on the rise in Ontario
According to the findings of a new report published by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN) and Public Health Ontario in September, there has been an increasing number of deaths linked to multiple toxic substances in Ontario since the beginning of the...
B.C. cities banning public drug use
Over the last months, several cities in British Columbia have proposed and implemented bylaws to restrict and ban illicit drug use in public spaces as a response to the exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act granted to the province by Health Canada,...
New Brunswick pursues legislation for involuntary drug treatment
Earlier in September, the New Brunswick government announced it is pursuing new legislation to address drug addiction that could result in individuals being forced into treatment against their will. Specifically, the proposed legislation aims to give police officers...
Oregon sees pressure to change drug decriminalization
In recent months, Oregon state’s drug decriminalization legislation has been facing significant pressure as Portland and other cities prepare to lobby the government to reform or repeal it. In 2020, Oregon became the first U.S. state to decriminalize possession of...
Reviewing B.C. six months into drug decriminalization
A recent analysis authored by Elizabeth McSheffrey and published by Global News examined the challenges faced by B.C. following the implementation of illicit drug decriminalization in the province. Specifically, some of the challenges identified include unnecessary...
Drug alerts in Toronto and Waterloo
Earlier in September, the Waterloo Region Integrated Drug Strategy issued a community drug alert after 31 suspected overdoses and drug poisonings over the span of four days, which were recorded between Aug. 31 and Sept. 3. Moreover, preliminary data on the region's...