David Leach is available to media for commentary on recent news about the World Health Organization declaring video game addiction a mental health disorder.

The practice of providing alcohol to people with severe alcohol dependence is a complex and sometimes controversial approach to harm-reduction. For the first time, a peer-reviewed journal has compiled the largest collection of peer-reviewed articles on these managed alcohol programs, led by UVic's Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research.

For the first time, a peer-reviewed journal has compiled the largest collection of peer-reviewed articles on managed alcohol programs, which are harm-reduction interventions that provide alcohol to people with severe alcohol dependence. The work is part of a national study led by UVic's Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR).

How much does alcohol cost? Think beyond the price of a bottle of wine; how many deaths per year are due to alcohol-related colon cancer? How about hospitalizations due to impaired driving accidents? To calculate these costs, PhD student Adam Sherk developed the International Model of Alcohol Harms and Policies, or InterMAHP.

Two major training grants to the University of Victoria totaling $3.3 million will strengthen research collaboration and train a new generation of skilled researchers for Canada's emerging tech sectors in astronomy instrumentation and drug delivery.

Starting today, warning labels cautioning consumers about the link between alcohol use and an increased risk of breast and colon cancer will be applied to all bottles and cans sold at the Whitehorse liquor store. This specific labelling, part of the study led by UVic’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, is a first for Canada.

It wasn't so long ago that Molly was just a name. Now, the moniker is slang for the chemical compound MDMA, also known on the street as ecstasy, an illegal psychoactive drug known for its ability to invoke feelings of empathy and euphoria—and a popular drug of choice among festival-goers and young people.

A collaborative style of health research guided by those whose lives are the focus of the research is the model for a new Greater Victoria study aimed at helping people with multiple barriers get the primary health care they need without feeling judged, stigmatized and shut out.

Over the years, a number of studies have shown that adults who drink moderately have lower heart disease rates than non-drinkers. But a new paper led by scientists at the UVic's Centre for Addictions Research provides grounds for a healthy skepticism around the idea that moderate drinking is good for you.

Primary health care delivered with understanding and compassion for people who use drugs is the focus of Greater Victoria's first patient-oriented research study funded through a collaboration between UVic, Island Health, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

​Findings from a report for the Swedish government by UVic’s Centre for Addictions Research and a team of international researchers could have implications for local, provincial and federal government as more Canadian jurisdictions privatize the distribution and sale of alcohol.

UVic experts are available to media for comment on the federal government’s cannabis legislation, being tabled April 13.

A new study by lead author Bonnie Leadbeater garnered media attention across BC and back east about high frequency in young drivers of risk behaviours, particularly for frequent users of marijuana. The study has implications for plans for legalization of recreational use and preventive education efforts.

With BC's drug overdose epidemic reaching record levels, health care providers are seeking new methods and tools to contain the crisis. UVic's biophysical chemist Dennis Hore has been working to develop an inexpensive mobile device to assist frontline health workers when assisting drug users.

​People who mix highly caffeinated energy drinks with their alcoholic beverages may be at increased risk for injury—both intentional (fights and violence) and unintentional (falling, tripping and motor vehicle accidents)—according to a new study by the UVic's Centre for Addictions Research.

To help navigate this stigma dn multiple barriers to access information about opioid substitution treatment (OST) in BC, UVic’s Centre for Addictions Research produced a users’ guide to the world of prescription opioids (such as methadone and suboxone), treatment and recovery. The handbook was co-written by OST patients, supported by funding from the Province of BC.