News & events

Job posting: Research Associate, BC Decrim Project

We are inviting applicants to apply for the position of Research Associate for the Pilot Evaluation of the Decriminalization of Small Amounts of Substances in Victoria, BC. We are looking for someone who is exceptionally organized and detail-oriented and interested in harm reduction and decriminalization.

New resource to help people with severe alcohol addiction

New national guidance to help people with severe alcohol addiction has been published by the BC Centre on Substance Use in partnership with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. The first-ever Canadian guidance for Managed Alcohol Programs (MAPs) has been developed to support scaling up of these evidence-based programs for treating severe alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Lower Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines for Youth, by Youth

New guidelines, developed by CISUR researchers and partners at SFU and the Victoria Foundry Youth Clinic. are intended to offer evidence-based and youth-led strategies to help young people who use cannabis. The variety of evidence supporting these guidelines and the focus on youths’ lived experience provides nuanced, practical, and feasible strategies to help mitigate the harms of cannabis while maximizing the event-level benefits.

Drinking in BC returns to pre-COVID levels

In the most recent year of our BC Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Monitoring Project data (2021/22), BC recorded a decrease of 0.13L in age 15+ per capita ethanol consumption, down to 9.19L from 9.32L. While this year marks a decrease to 2019/20 levels of consumption after a record high year in 2020/2021, consumption levels in BC based on AOD monitoring remain well above the Canadian average of 475 SDs per capita.

BC alcohol consumption higher than ever

British Columbians drank more alcohol during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than they have in the past 20 years, according to the latest analysis of BC alcohol sales data from the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR).

BC’s regulated cannabis market growing briskly: new report

Cannabis products in BC are getting cheaper and more potent, and its year-over-year sales have doubled between 2019 and 2020, according to a new report from the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR). In 2020, sales added up to nearly 8,000 kg of THC—equivalent to approximately 400 million joints (at 20mg of THC each) and accounted for about $290 million in gross revenue.

Drinking in BC up during COVID-19

It’s official: British Columbians have been drinking more alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic, with private liquor store sales accounting for the bulk of the increase in consumption—and the biggest spikes happening during lockdown. New analysis of BC alcohol sales data from UVic’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) shows that, although increases in overall alcohol consumption were modest, there was a significant rise in alcohol purchased in liquor stores.

CISUR's new Director is here!

After a lengthy international search, CISUR finally has a new director—and it’s Tim. No, not that Tim. The other Tim. Dr. Tim Naimi officially started his tenure at CISUR’s new director August 17, having relocated from Boston with his family. He replaces Dr. Tim Stockwell, who was director at CISUR from its inception in 2004 until August 2020. Stockwell will remain at CISUR as a Scientist.

Substance use in Canada costs almost $46 billion

Substance use costs Canadian society almost $46 billion a year (2017) or almost $1,258 for every person in Canada. This data comes from Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms 2015–2017, a report released today by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) and the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR).

Even ‘low-risk’ drinking can be harmful

It’s not just heavy drinking that’s a problem -- even consuming alcohol within weekly low-risk drinking guidelines can result in hospitalization and death, according to a new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Moderate drinkers “are not insulated from harm,” write researchers led by Adam Sherk, Ph.D., of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.

Cecilia Benoit wins Killam Prize

From advocating for the recognition of Indigenous and non-Indigenous midwives, to working with street-involved youth, to empowering sex workers to become their own health advocates, sociologist Cecilia Benoit has made vital contributions to the advancement of class, race and gender equality in Canada. A scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) and professor emerita of sociology at the University of Victoria has been awarded the 2020 Killam Prize in Social Sciences from the Canada Council for the Arts.