Freud doing cocaine. Psychologist William James experimenting with nitrous oxide. A new history tells of the Romantic rebels who first sampled psychoactive substances.
Most consumables in Canada have quality controls that inform purchasing and consumption decisions. People who use illicit drugs deserve the same. Drug checking provides that harm-reduction service.
Harm reduction is grounded in evidence. But policies, stigma and ignorance about substance use still create barriers in battling Canada’s drug poisoning crisis.
Vinita Srivastava, The Conversation; Boké Saisi, The Conversation, and Kikachi Memeh, The Conversation
As the use of Ozempic, a drug for diabetes, slams into the mainstream as a weight-loss method, will the drug’s use impact our concept of fatness? And how does fatness intersect with race and class?
Instead of forcing people into substance use treatment, provinces should work with municipalities and health boards to expand life-saving safe use sites and tackle the housing crisis.
Health Canada continues to monitor newly approved drugs to determine if the benefits identified in the pre-market trials hold up to further scrutiny. Canadians need better access to that information.
They tend backyards brimming with cactus varieties, consuming the produce. Prudence Gibson meets a hidden group of gardeners and ponders the allure – and – danger of psychoactive plants.
Malaysia and Indonesia have been considering whether to follow Thailand in legalizing the use of cannabis, particularly for medical purposes. But another country could serve as a better example.
Poppy seeds can become contaminated with opiates during harvesting. For the US Defense Department, invoking a ‘poppy seed defense’ may not be enough to rule out a positive drug test result.
Decriminalization helps recharacterize drug addiction as a chronic health condition instead of a criminal activity, reduces the stigma associated with drug use and improves treatment options.
If you think your medicine may be contributing to overheating, it’s very important you keep taking your medicine. Discuss your symptoms with your pharmacist or doctor.