Worldwide, it is estimated that between 14 and 20 million people use cocaine. Cocaine addiction is one of the most difficult to treat chronically relapsing disorders. Whilst the effects of this drug on behaviour have been studied since the 19th century, it was only in recent decades that scientists realized cocaine impacts and changes brain…
The answer to addiction will not be found in the industries of incarceration and prescription
On Oct. 21, pharmaceutical opioid distributors McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health, and drug manufacturer Teva Pharmaceuticals agreed to a US$260-million settlement just hours before opening arguments were scheduled to begin in the first opioid-era federal lawsuit in Ohio. This is the first of hundreds of similar lawsuits filed by cities, counties, Native American tribes…
Limiting access to alcohol led to chaos during the Prohibition. Will constraining opioids do the same?
There are so many reasons to be very glad that we live in Canada – one of the main is that we’re governed by the rule of law. Laws and the rules and regulations that underpin them are enacted by democratically-elected governments. They’re enforced and upheld by police and courts that are amazingly upright and…
An estimated 13% of Canadian workers who are cannabis users consumed the drug before or during work: StatsCan
Data released Thursday by Statistics Canada indicates just why the cannabis industry has become such a big part of the Canadian economy in recent months. The federal agency reported that about 5.3 million or 18 per cent of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported using cannabis in the last three months. This was higher…
Abstinence-based treatment is ineffective. We need to invest heavily in harm reduction strategies
By Sen. Jane Cordy and Sen. Raymonde Gagné “I wasn’t born to be a drug addict,” said a brave member of the audience at our recent open caucus meeting in the Senate on the Opioid Crisis in Canada. He told us of his struggle with drug addiction over two decades. His closing words hung in…
The delays, mistakes and outright incompetence related to cannabis legalization suggest we won't be able to manage opioid use
Ever since the oft-delayed rollout of legal recreational cannabis sales in Canada on Oct. 17, there have been problems across this vast and highly regulated land. All of these problems mean the illegal cannabis market remains intact. They also suggest we won't be particularly adept at handling legitimate drug crisis in this country. The cannabis-related…
A mother and a dentist team call for an end to routine opioid use for teens after wisdom tooth removal
By Amy Ma and Susan Sutherland Contributors We’re writing as a parent and a dentist to spread a message to parents and dental health-care providers across Canada: there are alternatives to prescribing opioids after wisdom teeth removal. Removing wisdom teeth is considered by many as a rite of passage for teenagers. It’s one of the…
Health Canada offers a framework for the sale of edible cannabis products before the October 2019 launch. Will we be ready?
You think October 2018 was complicated, wait until edible cannabis products are legalized by October 2019. It’s just a matter of time before the edible market represents the majority of the cannabis market in Canada. A study released last year suggested that 93 per cent of consumers supporting Ottawa’s legalization plans would try a cannabis-infused food…
If we can be ‘enlightened witnesses’ and listen without judgment, we can help the healing process
Much of the study of genocide has focused on how it happens and what it looks like. This is important but perhaps we need to go further. What do people go through after these crimes have been committed? What happens to children? There are many amazing books written by survivors of genocide: Viktor Frankl’s Man’s…
Our efforts to stop crime and violence through aggression and punishment have never worked. Compassion works
It’s no secret that there’s tremendous pain in the world. What we’re not often aware of is the source of this pain. Not knowing where it’s from, we give into fear and actually make the problem worse. Canadian physician Gabor Mate has devoted his career to understanding why people do terrible things to themselves and…