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Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research
@uviccisur.bsky.social
Promoting health, reducing harm. Official account of UVic's Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research.
"In P.E.I., sweeping new strategy takes aim at ‘pervasive drinking culture’" www.cbc.ca/radio/whitec...
Grieving a son killed by a drunk driver, she's counting on P.E.I.'s ambitious new alcohol strategy | CBC Radio
From life-altering tragedies to everyday health risks, P.E.I. is taking direct aim at mitigating the toll of drinking. Advocates, are hoping a new provincial alcohol strategy will push Islanders to re...
cbc.ca
CISUR researchers in @jsadjournal.bsky.social! "Lower alcohol prices are linked to risky alcohol use, with the strongest effects among structurally disadvantaged groups. MUP is likely to reduce this risk and promote health equity."
Lower Prices Associated w/ Greater Alcohol-Related Harm & Risky Drinking Among Vulnerable Groups: Findings Fr... (new in @jsadjournal.bsky.social) by James Clay... @ccsacanada.bsky.social @elizabethfarkouh.bsky.social @uviccisur.bsky.social @uvicscience.bsky.social www.jsad.com/doi/abs/10.1...
“The industry has been on record as being very active in lobbying on this front,” said Naimi. “I’ll just say they’ve been successful.” thetyee.ca/News/2026/09... via @thetyee.ca
Does Your Local Craft Brewer Want to Hide Alcohol Risks? | The Tyee
Their major industry association is lobbying against new drinking guidelines and warning labels. Its members are split.
thetyee.ca
"This crisis has touched us all and my heart breaks for families and communities that lose loved ones. This is an incredibly challenging area to study. At the same time, it’s rewarding to be doing science in an area that is so topical and needs solutions so badly." www.uvic.ca/health/stori...
Meet Karen Urbanoski, health's new Lansdowne scholar - Faculty of Health - University of Victoria
Karen Urbanoski is the Faculty of Health’s inaugural Lansdowne scholar, a three-year term for mid-career excellence.
uvic.ca
"The law itself creates barriers for sex workers' safety and for them to reach out when they're in trouble." -CISUR Scientist and @uvic.ca Sociology Professor Emerita Cecilia Benoit. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Sex worker forcibly confined at gunpoint, say Burnaby RCMP | CBC News
Burnaby RCMP are investigating after a sex worker was restrained and robbed at gunpoint. Police are calling it a case of forcible confinement, and said two male suspects are involved. Advocates say ca...
cbc.ca
Congrats to all the @uvic.ca CIHR Project Grant recipients, including CISUR scientist Karen Urbanoski for "Evolution of prescribed safer supply in Canada: Shifting policy landscapes and implications for population health." www.uvic.ca/research-inn... @uvichealth.bsky.social
CIHR program funding July 2026 - University of Victoria - University of Victoria
More than $8.4 million awarded to UVic researchers through federal CIHR programs
uvic.ca
“It's a pretty potentially dangerous combination, giving you the energy to do crazy, daft things,” Stockwell said, “and something that takes away the fear of the consequences.”
For over a decade, @redbull.com funded studies that disputed the risks of consuming energy drinks and alcohol together — and research tied to the company has been used to roll back public health regulations in Canada and elsewhere. Read our latest investigation:
"The idea of using warning labels is building momentum around the world, but as in Canada, industry opposition and political delays have repeatedly slowed their implementation."
As global momentum builds for alcohol cancer warnings, Canada's label bill stalls. zurl.co/PKnBi
Congrats to all the @uvic.ca @sshrc-crsh.canada.ca funding recipients, including CISUR post-doc James Clay, who received an Insight Development Grant! www.uvic.ca/research-inn...
SSHRC program funding July 2026 - University of Victoria - University of Victoria
More than $5 million awarded to UVic researchers through federal SSHRC programs
uvic.ca
“I think this is definitely a feather in P.E.I.’s cap." CISUR director Tim Naimi on P.E.I.'s new alcohol strategy. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Alcohol costs P.E.I. more than it brings in, new provincial strategy says | CBC News
Prince Edward Island has released a new provincial alcohol strategy aimed at reducing illness and harms linked to drinking, and experts say it puts the province ahead of much of the country.
cbc.ca
Congratulations to CISUR scientist and retired @uvic.ca sociologist Cecilia Benoit, who has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada. @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social news.uvic.ca/2026/a-lifet...
A lifetime of impact and mentorship - UVic News
A leading scholar and influential voice in her field, Cecilia Benoit has made vital contributions to informed policy debates on sex work,
news.uvic.ca
"Bernie Pauly...says B.C. also needs to make an effort to prevent the rising number of people dying while experiencing homelessness — which is largely due to toxic drugs. "Lack of access to trauma support, counselling, lack of access to housing, those are all key."" www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Access to free naloxone in B.C. preventing 4 out of 5 potentially fatal overdoses, report finds | CBC News
Thousands of people have died due to the toxic drug crisis in the decade since B.C. declared it a public health emergency. But a new study shows that many more could have died if not for the province'...
cbc.ca
“After rigorously analyzing the existing evidence, we strongly believe it’s time to add pancreatic cancer to the list of alcohol-related cancers,” says CISUR Director Tim Naimi. news.uvic.ca/media-releas...
Study strengthens alcohol’s link to deadly pancreatic cancer - UVic News
A new paper led by researchers at UVic contributes to mounting evidence that alcohol use can cause pancreatic cancer.
news.uvic.ca
“What many of us might have considered ‘moderate’ consumption is pretty risky,” said Tim Naimi, another co-author of the report.
Alcohol Intake and Health Study: No Protective Effect at Low Levels, With Mortality Increasing to 1 in 25 at 14 Drinks Per Week (new #openaccess in @jsadjournal.bsky.social) @camhnews.bsky.social @uviccisur.bsky.social @brownpublichealth.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu www.jsad.com/doi/full/10....
Alcohol Intake and Health Study: No Protective Effect at Low Levels, With Mortality Increasing to 1 in 25 at 14 Drinks Per Week: Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs: Vol 87, No 4
Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the lifetime risk of alcohol-attributable mortality and morbidity in the United States based on a person’s average lifetime weekly alcohol consumption to assess the impact of per-occasion alcohol consumption on health. Method: Lifetime risks were estimated using a cause-specific modeling approach that combined exposure data from national health surveys, relative risks, population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and morbidity data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. A narrative review assessed the health impact of per-occasion alcohol consumption on health. Results: At low levels of consumption, no protective net effect of alcohol consumption on health was observed. Elevated mortality and morbidity risks were associated with alcohol consumption starting at relatively low levels. Males consuming >6.5 (95% CI [<1, 13.5]) and females consuming >7.0 (95% CI [<1, 11.5]) drinks per week had life-time alcohol-attributable mortality risks >1:1,000. At >8.5 (95% CI [2.5, 13]) drinks per week for both males and females, these risks increased to >1:100. At 14 drinks per week for males (the upper limit of the former Dietary Guidelines for males), the risk of an alcohol-caused death was 1:25 (4%). Drinking patterns also impacted risk. Above 1 drink per occasion, higher consumption was associated with progressively increased risks of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and injury. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption, including at what may be perceived as “moderate” levels, is associated with increased mortality and morbidity risks. These results support tightening alcohol use guidance in the United States, for both males and females, to no more than 1 drink per day. Public health significance statement: The Alcohol Intake and Health Study shows that for Americans, even what is socially considered “moderate drinking” increases the risk of dying or developing health problems, helping people better understand the net health impact of alcohol. Furthermore, by identifying the levels of alcohol use that raise the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and injury, these findings can guide individuals, families, and communities in making safer choices about drinking patterns. The results also support changing the U.S. Dietary Guidelines on alcohol to recommend that current adult drinkers consume 1 drink or less in a day.
jsad.com
“I’m glad that they had a message that corresponds with our science, and that is that less is best,” said Dr. Timothy Naimi, director of CISUR and one of the study’s authors. “But giving people quantity information is necessary to make a truly informative guideline.” www.cnn.com/2026/06/09/h...
A government-commissioned study found drinking risks. US guidelines didn’t feature its findings | CNN
A study commissioned by President Joe Biden’s administration to investigate alcohol-related health harms was released independently on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump’s administration decided no...
cnn.com
"Developing a provincial alcohol strategy would help pave the way for stronger public-health-oriented alcohol policies, which we have seen in jurisdictions like Northwest Territories and Newfoundland in recent years." -CISUR director Tim Naimi www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Report recommends warning labels on booze as B.C. alcohol use above national levels | CBC News
As of 2023, people in B.C. consume an average of 8.8 drinks per week, compared with the national average of 8.2, a new report says.
cbc.ca
CISUR director Tim Naimi (left) was on hand with Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry and Deputy PHO Dr. Martin Lavoie to launch Living Well, Drinking Less: Reducing Alcohol Harms in BC, a report documenting alcohol’s impact on British Columbians. news.uvic.ca/media-releas...
The UVic Right to Housing (R2H) Idea Incubator series is hosting Dr. Jill Wiwcharuk as she discusses deaths among the unhoused population in Victoria. When: Friday, May 29, 12:00 pm Where: Zoom (email r2hcoordinator@uvic.ca to receive meeting link). #Victoria #Unhoused #Homelessness
The B.C. government wants to seize the storefront of a Victoria cannabis “compassion club,” even though the club's operators haven’t been criminally charged. zurl.co/D59mF
No more ‘just say no’ — Canadian schools will soon have a roadmap to address student substance use
No more ‘just say no’ — Canadian schools will soon have a roadmap to address student substance use
A new cross-Canada standard sets out what evidence-informed substance use prevention, education and intervention should look like from kindergarten through Grade 12.
theconversation.com
Updated Canadian recommendations aim to totally reconfigure how health professionals talk to their patients about alcohol, and reflect reflect evolving evidence on alcohol-related health risks. Read the full press release from the BCCSU: buff.ly/qDyN97K #research #healthcare #healthresearch
New Canadian recommendations aim to redefine how health professionals talk to their patients about alcohol
Updated Canadian recommendations published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) aim to totally reconfigure how health professionals talk to their patients about alcohol.
buff.ly
Saskatoon fire department responds to “staggering” increase in overdoses, coinciding with closure of Prairie Harm Reduction supervised consumption site www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Saskatoon firefighters responded to 'staggering' 680 overdoses in April | CBC News
The new high mark of 680 surpasses the 509 responses in March of 2025 and happened the same month that Prairie Harm Reduction closed for good due to financial troubles. The numbers represent a more th...
cbc.ca
Opioid overdose survivors face higher death risk after hospital release than previously thought, study shows. Repeat overdose and death rates were lower prior to the arrival of fentanyl, by @alannasmith.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... via @theglobeandmail.com #ToxicDrugCrisis
Opioid overdose survivors face higher death risk after hospital release than previously thought, study says
Earlier pre-fentanyl studies found lower estimates of repeat overdose and death rates, researchers said
theglobeandmail.com
“I believe that people are generally good, and when given the right evidence and stories, we’re built to be compassionate.” Five months in, @streetdrjill has 100,000 followers and comments flooded with shows of support and changing minds. 🩺📱 Sydney Lobe reports.
How Street Dr. Jill Became BC’s Favourite Influencer | The Tyee
If elected officials won’t heed experts, the outreach physician says, maybe they’ll listen to her 100,000 followers.
thetyee.ca
And editorial from CISUR researchers expresses scepticism about recent claims in the European Heart Journal that drinking wine daily has health benefits. academic.oup.com/eurheartj/ad...
Does daily wine consumption add health benefits to the Mediterranean diet? Some grounds for scepticism
This editorial refers to ‘Wine consumption, Mediterranean diet, and cardiovascular risk in two Spanish cohorts’, by M.A. Martínez-González et al., https://
academic.oup.com
Are psychedelics an effective treatment for traumatic brain injuries? Early evidence shows promise! 🧠🍄 🔗 learn about this largely unexplored topic: news.uvic.ca/media-releas...
TBI survivors turn to psychedelics for symptom relief - UVic News
A new study from the University of Victoria (UVic) has identified a segment of traumatic brain injury survivors who are using psychedelics to
news.uvic.ca
B.C. children's representative says drug crisis having staggering impact on kids
B.C. children's representative says drug crisis having staggering impact on kids
The toxic drug crisis that has killed thousands of people in British Columbia has had a “staggeringly high” impact on the youngest in the province, not only killing hundreds but leaving many more as orphans, the province’s representative for children and youth says.
bit.ly
Hundreds of websites sell weed and other drugs to Canadians openly and illegally. Why taking them down is like “whack-a-mole.” zurl.co/kgR6I