Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research

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

04/28/2026

Medetomidine is a veterinary tranquilizer that is increasingly being detected in the unregulated drug supply in parts of Canada. This webinar in partnership with CATIE explores what service providers need to know.

📅 May 19, 2026
🕐 1 – 2:30 pm EDT

🔗Register to learn more: https://www.catie.ca/medetomidine-in-canadas-unregulated-drug-supply

04/27/2026

CISUR post-doc James Clay is one of several UVic researchers headed to the legislature for Science Meets Parliament this week.

Science Meets Parliament strengthens connections and mutual understanding. between Canada’s scientific and political communities through dialogue 

04/17/2026

Want to know how many people use different substances across Canada by age, s*x and year? Check out our new Prevalence Chart! It’s part of our project with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research: https://csuch.ca

04/16/2026

Increasing population? Awareness of health impacts? Boycotts on American products? CISUR Director Tim Naimi looks at possible contributing factors to declining alcohol consumption in Canada for The Conversation Canada. https://r.pebmac.ca/https://theconversation.com/why-is-alcohol-use-declining-in-canada-277962

04/14/2026

Our second episode of Under the Influence: Substance Use and Society is out today. Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3qlc2CbRpzMFReqVT5dock

In this episode, we look back on 10 years since BC declared toxic drug deaths a public health emergency. Over 18,000 people have lost their lives since 2016. How do we honour our lost loved ones, and where do we go from here?

Host Amanda Farrell-Low speaks with Dr. Bernie Pauly, a scientist at CISUR and UVic nursing professor, who looks back at what happened when the declaration was made, and what we have seen since in terms of policy. She also speaks with Stephanie Harrington, who lost her brother to toxic drugs, and is coordinating a community art show to honour those who have died.

The community art show runs April 7-26 at the @victoriaartscouncil pop-up gallery in the Bay Centre, 1150 Douglas Street, Victoria. Find out more at namingacrisis.ca.

04/14/2026

01/09/2026

"As people look for ways to improve their health in the new year, the movement is gaining renewed attention.
The initiative encourages people who drink alcohol to step away for the month of January as a way to reflect on their relationship with and explore healthier lifestyle choices.
Dr. Tim Naimi, the director of the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and a professor at University of Victoria's School of and , said Dry January is more of an opportunity for those who want a healthier lifestyle to rethink their consumption choices.
“The idea is to do a reset on alcohol consumption and see what it feels like to drink less or not at all,” Naimi said."
[read the rest of the article online at: alberni valley news . com]

01/05/2026

📋 Free Online Mental Health Screening - now available in Chinese!

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Learn more: https://buff.ly/VrzN9Cc

Available in English and Chinese.