By Jenna Finley, Biology and Life Sciences editor Editor’s note: this post is the second in a two-part series by Jenna Finley on Canada’s opioid crisis. Check out Part 1 here. The characteristics of the opioid epidemic have evolved over time. The people who take these drugs, the sources of the drugs, and even their […]
opiod overdose
A frontline perspective on opioids: mechanisms of addiction
By Jenna Finley, Biology and Life Sciences Editor The first opioid overdose call I ever did was when I was a paramedic student. Lights and sirens on, we barreled into this nice suburban home to find a young man, almost as young as me, lying on the ground. The fire department had beaten us to […]
When the opioid epidemic met the coronavirus pandemic
Sonja Soo, Communications, Education & Outreach editor The opioid crisis in Canada has been a public emergency since 2016. According to the Government of Canada, there have been more than 22,000 opioid toxicity deaths in the last five years. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened opioid-related deaths in Canada – in the months that followed the […]
Fentanyl analysis: From the back alley to the crime lab
Lawrence Cheung, Chemistry co-editor The widespread use of illegal drugs in British Columbia is chilling. It is a growing epidemic and the number of drug related deaths has increased each year since 2012. The situation is so bad that B.C.’s health minister, Terry Lake, has asked the federal government to declare a national public health […]