Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research

06/17/2026

📝New study strengthens alcohol's link to deadly pancreatic cancer📝

Read on for details on a CISUR-led study, published in the International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, that found a dose-response relationship between drinking and pancreatic cancer, a particularly deadly form of the disease. Read the news release: https://news.uvic.ca/media-release/alcohols-link-to-deadly-pancreatic-cancer/

06/16/2026

Does alcohol increase the risk of pancreatic cancer?

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently links seven types of cancer including breast, colon, and mouth cancer with alcohol consumption. Pancreatic cancer is currently not on that list.

However, a new study out of UVic’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) contributes to mounting evidence of alcohol’s link to this particularly deadly form of cancer. After controlling for “former drinker” bias in an analysis of multiple previous studies, researchers found that drinking more than 24 grams of alcohol per day (a little under two standard Canadian drinks) was associated with a 10-30 percent increase in risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

💬 “After rigorously analyzing the existing evidence, we strongly believe it’s time to add pancreatic cancer to the list of alcohol-related cancers.” - Tim Naimi, CISUR director and an author of the study.

🔗 Learn more: https://ow.ly/CX6850ZcmYW

📸 Photo: Tim Naimi, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) director.

06/11/2026

Coming up next week!

Join us June 17 to learn about Canada’s healthcare impacts and costs related to substance use!

We’ll be releasing the latest Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms (CSUCH) – Healthcare report very soon. Join us for a webinar exploring the data and discover how it can help policymakers, healthcare system planners and public health professionals make more informed decisions to reduce harms and improve responses.

Register now! https://ow.ly/E8hi50Z9134

06/11/2026

A new practice brief from CISUR/CoLab: "Policing, Overdose Prevention Services and Drug Policy."https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/cisur/assets/docs/colab/policing-harm-reduction-services_brief.pdf

Read on to learn what provincial guidelines say about policing at overdose prevention services, and what the evidence says about how police presence can impact these services.

06/09/2026

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the lifetime risk of alcohol-attributable mortality and morbidity in the United States based on a person’s average lifetime weekly alcohol consumption to assess the impact of per-occasion alcohol consumption on health. Method: Lifetime risks wer...

06/02/2026

When Aaron Bailey was working on his master's thesis on the history of alcohol policy in Vancouver's downtown eastside, he encountered several references to involuntary treatment in the archives.

Now, he will be using his Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation scholarship to explore the history of involuntary substance-use treatment in BC, alongside people who use drugs.

“Folks who use drugs are doing amazing advocacy in multiple regions of British Columbia. Coincidentally, there are also extremely valuable archives in multiple regions of British Columbia, so I'm extremely excited also for the Foundation's support to allow my work to be province-wide."

Read more: https://www.uvic.ca/health/stories/health/trudeau-scholar-examines-involuntary-treatment.php

Photo by Jackie Dives.

06/02/2026

Join us on Wednesday, June 10 for the Harold Johnson "Changing the Alcohol Story Award and Talk."

The Harold Johnson Award is for an individual or group who has worked tirelessly and fearlessly to change the story about alcohol in order to prevent or reduce its harmful consequences on people and populations. This year's recipients are Joan Johnson and Andrea Cowan, in recognition of their work on Saskatchewan's Northern Alcohol Strategy.

Details and RSVP: https://events.uvic.ca/cisur/event/107839-harold-johnson-award-and-talk Note this event is in-person only at UVic.

05/27/2026

Today the Office of the Provincial Health Officer launched Living Well, Drinking Less: Reducing Alcohol Harms in BC, a report documenting alcohol’s impact on British Columbians that drew on research expertise and data from CISUR.

Our director Tim Naimi was on hand with Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C. provincial health officer and Dr. Martin Lavoie, deputy provincial health officer, for the report launch.

It offers several policy recommendations for government, including developing a provincial alcohol strategy, strengthening minimum unit pricing, and adopting warning labels on alcohol containers.

Read more: https://news.uvic.ca/media-release/bc-health-officer-calls-for-stronger-public-health-approach-to-alcohol/

05/27/2026

The stats don’t lie: Alcohol remains a leading cause of preventable death, injury, and disability across Canada. But here in BC where alcohol consumption is higher than average, this reality hits even closer to home.

Drawing from research expertise and data from the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), the Office of the Provincial Health Officer has released "Living Well, Drinking Less: Reducing Alcohol Harms in BC”, a report documenting alcohol’s impact on British Columbians.

💬 “It was a pleasure to work with Dr. Bonnie Henry and her office on this report, and we applaud the provincial health officer and her team for taking a detailed look at this important public-health issue.” - Tim Naimi, Director of CISUR.

🔗 Learn what’s in the report: https://ow.ly/U3MY50Z4Vic

05/21/2026

Our latest episode of Under the Influence: Substance Use and Society is out now!

In this episode, we explore Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health, public awareness of alcohol-related risks, and how these conversations led to the launch of KnowAlcohol.ca in January 2025, a digital resource designed to help Canadians better understand the health impacts of alcohol.

Alcohol, a Group 1 carcinogen, is consumed by nearly 80% of people in Canada, yet many remain unaware of its connection to cancers such as breast and colon cancer. So, what happens when we try to address alcohol use at a population level through personalized risk communication and knowledge tools?

Join guests Andrea Cowan and Dr. Tim Naimi as they discuss alcohol normalization, public health messaging, and the research behind , including how personalized information about health risks, costs, and consumption patterns can help Canadians make more informed decisions about drinking.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3lnIVN0rkVmpQqPUp2tYP8
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/3-knowalcohol-ca-all-about-alcohol-the-knowledge/id1896604119?i=1000768580015