UVic researcher Mauricio A. Garcia-Barrera is leading an effort to shine the light on an epidemic¬ underlying the toxic drug crisis¬—brain injury after overdose.

On January 23, 2024, a first-year student living in residence, Sidney McIntyre-Starko was exposed to BC’s toxic drug supply. She died in hospital a few days later, devastating our community and leaving us all shaken.

Vanier scholar, Sybil Goulet-Stock, is a psychology doctoral researcher examining alcohol use in Canada and the impact of mandatory health warning labels on products.

News of alcohol’s harms and costs has dominated headlines post-COVID. The Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation (CAPE) Project, led by UVic’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), brought together researchers from institutions across Canada to evaluate alcohol control policies federally and in all 13 provinces and territories. Today, they release their results alongside evidence-based solutions to improve health and well-being.

Three researchers at UVic’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research—director Tim Naimi and scientists Adam Sherk and Tim Stockwell—were part of an expert panel that helped create the new Canadian Guidance on Alcohol and Health.

The following University of Victoria experts are available to media to discuss the updated Canadian Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines, developed by the Canadian Centre of Substance Use and Addiction.

Mexico and Canada may be physically separated by thousands of kilometres, but people like Jaime Arredondo Sanchez Lira—the new Canada Research Chair in Substance Use and Health Policy Research at UVic—are working to bring them closer together when it comes to harm reduction and drug policy.

The Vancouver Island Drug Checking Project, led by UVic social work professor Bruce Wallace and chemistry professor Dennis Hore, is a blend of research, service and partnerships including several UVic faculties, people who use drugs, students, government agencies, community groups and more.

UVic health researchers get a $3.4-million boost—success that was supported through the efforts of the UVic Health Initiative, which is raising the profile and quality of health research across campus.

New UVic Canada Research Chairs focus on Indigenous law, renewable energy research, substance use policy and marine fisheries adaptation.

British Columbians drank more alcohol during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than they have in the past 20 years of data collection, according to the latest analysis of BC alcohol sales data from CISUR.

Could magic mushrooms and ecstasy reshape mental health care in Canada? Two UVic grads weigh in from the frontlines of the psychedelic renaissance.

Eight UVic researchers in the fields of science, social sciences, engineering, and humanities have been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada, the country’s highest academic honour.

Six UVic researchers in the fields of science, social sciences, engineering, and humanities have been elected to the Royal Society of Canada, the country’s highest academic honour.

UVic welcomes four Banting fellows.

The Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at UVic has created a new evidence-based, public-health-oriented guide for municipalities considering allowing drinking in their public outdoor spaces.