Evaluation of the outcomes of equity-deserving individuals receiving services and support from integrated substance use health and mental health services: a pilot study protocol.

Background: Given the close relationship that can exist between substance use health and mental health (SUHMH) concerns, the need for more integrated services and support has been identified. However, research on the effective integration of SUHMH services and their impact on outcomes of individuals accessing them remains limited. In particular, the unique outcomes of individuals facing significant structural inequities in the health care system, i.

Alcohol consumption and mortality among Canadian drinkers: A national population-based survival analysis (2000-2017).

Introduction: Alcohol contributes significantly global disease burden. Over 50 countries, including Canada, have established low-risk drinking guidelines to reduce alcohol-related harm. Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health (CGAH) was released in 2023.

Cannabis Consumption Among Adults Aged 55-65 in Canada, 2018-2021.

Cannabis consumption among aging adults in Canada is increasing. The aims of the study were to examine cannabis consumption patterns before and after non-medical cannabis legalization and assess whether these patterns differ between men and women. Data were analyzed from Canadian respondents in a repeat cross-sectional survey conducted in 2018-2021.

Assessing the implementation of evidence-based alcohol policies on Atlantic Canadian post-secondary campuses: A comparative analysis.

Objective: This study assessed the quality of campus alcohol policies against best practice to assist campus decision-makers in strengthening their campus alcohol policies and reducing student alcohol use and harm.

Methods: Drawing on empirical literature and expert opinion, we developed an evidence-based scoring rubric to assess the quality of campus alcohol policies across 10 alcohol policy domains. Campus alcohol policy data were collected from 12 Atlantic Canadian universities.

Toxicology findings from drivers suspected of drug-impaired driving in Ontario (2008-2019).

Objective: This study examines the results of toxicological tests performed on blood and urine samples collected from suspected drug-impaired drivers in Ontario from 2008 to 2019. The report examines the results of toxicological analysis of the samples submitted, the characteristics of those drivers from whom samples were collected, and the temporal and situational circumstances that led to police investigations and sample collection to better understand drug-impaired driving behavior and to assist in the development and implementation of countermeasure strategies and programs.

Methods: Blood and urine samples were sent to the Center of Forensic Sciences where they were analyzed using standardized comprehensive toxicological analysis to test for a wide variety of potentially impairing drugs.

Canada's THC unit: Applications for the legal cannabis market.

The legalization of cannabis in Canada has accelerated the need for a standardized approach to measuring and communicating the amount of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in cannabis products. This article offers an overview of the considerations associated with establishing and implementing a standard THC unit in the Canadian context. The article begins by discussing the applications of a standard THC unit, emphasizing its potential use in product labelling, consumer education, and product reporting and surveillance.

A Longitudinal Investigation of Lower-Risk Gambling Limits in the Canadian National Study.

Recent years have seen increased attention given to identifying and describing the levels of gambling participation that confer a risk of harm in order to generate public health advice regarding lower-risk gambling. However, most of the existing literature has failed to explicitly assess these limits in a prospective manner. The purpose of this study is to employ a methodology consistent with prior investigations to evaluate the level of gambling participation associated with an increased risk of future gambling-related harm.

Weaving community-based participatory research and co-design to improve opioid use treatments and services for youth, caregivers, and service providers.

Integrating the voices of service users and providers in the design and delivery of health services increases the acceptability, relevance, and effectiveness of services. Such efforts are particularly important for youth opioid use treatments and services, which have failed to consider the unique needs of youth and families. Applying community-based participatory research (CBPR) and co-design can facilitate this process by contextualizing service user experiences at individual and community levels and supporting the collaborative design of innovative solutions for improving care.

Alcohol policy changes during the first three-months of the COVID-19 pandemic: Development and application of a classification scheme.

Background: Policy changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted on alcohol control. This study describes the development and application of a classification scheme to map alcohol policy changes during the first three-months of the COVID-19 pandemic in five countries and/or subnational jurisdictions.

Method: A pre-registered systematic review of policy decisions from March to May 2020, in Australia/New South Wales, Canada/Ontario, Chile, Italy and the United Kingdom.

A drink equals how many cigarettes? Equating mortality risks from alcohol and tobacco use in Canada.

Objective: To quantify and communicate risk equivalencies for alcohol-and tobacco-attributable mortality by comparing per standard drinks consumed to per number of cigarettes smoked in Canada.

Methods: Alcohol-and tobacco-attributable premature deaths (≤75 years of age) and years of life lost (YLL) were estimated using a lifetime risk modeling approach. Alcohol-attributable death statistics were obtained from the 2023 Canadian Guidance on Alcohol and Health data source.

Changes in harm reduction service providers professional quality of life during dual public health emergencies in Canada.

Background: Harm reduction (HR) is a critical response to the pronounced toxicity deaths being experienced in Canada. HR providers report many benefits of their jobs, but also encounter chronic stress from structural inequities and exposure to trauma and death. This research study sought to quantify the emotional toll the toxicity emergency placed on HR providers (Cycle One; 2019).

Why Do Only Some Cohort Studies Find Health Benefits From Low-Volume Alcohol Use? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Study Characteristics That May Bias Mortality Risk Estimates.

Objective: Assumptions about alcohol's health benefits profoundly influence global disease burden estimates and drinking guidelines. Using theory and evidence, we identify and test study characteristics that may bias estimates of all-cause mortality risk associated with low-volume drinking.

Method: We identified 107 longitudinal studies by systematic review with 724 estimates of the association between alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality for 4,838,825 participants with 425,564 recorded deaths.

Canada's Alcohol Deficit, 2007-2020: Social Cost, Public Revenue, Magnitudes of Alcohol Use, and the Per-Drink Net Deficit for a Fourteen-Year Period.

Objective: Governments generate substantial revenue from the distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages. However, the use of this alcohol results in considerable public costs for health care, criminal justice, and economic loss of production. Because comparisons of these two sides of the same coin are limited, this study aims to estimate this net alcohol surplus or deficit in Canada and each province/territory for a 14-year study period.

Service-level barriers to and facilitators of accessibility to treatment for problematic alcohol use: a scoping review.

Introduction: Services to treat problematic alcohol use (PAU) should be highly accessible to optimize treatment engagement. We conducted a scoping review to map characteristics of services for the treatment of PAU that have been reported in the literature to be barriers to or facilitators of access to treatment from the perspective of individuals with PAU.

Methods: A protocol was developed , registered, and published.

Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinics for People With Problematic Opioid Use.

Importance: New approaches are needed to provide care for individuals with problematic opioid use (POU). Rapid access addiction medicine (RAAM) clinics offer a flexible, low-barrier, rapid access care model for this population.

Objective: To assess the associations of RAAM clinics with emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and mortality for people with POU.

Enhancing the Standardized Field Sobriety Test to detect cannabis impairment: An observational study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore various tests of impairment that could potentially be added to the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) to enhance its sensitivity to identify drivers whose abilities are adversely affected by cannabis.

Methods: An observational study was conducted in which participants were invited to use their own cannabis at the research facility. Once prior to cannabis use and at four times during the 150 min after cannabis use, participants performed the three tests of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) (i.

Automating Detection of Drug-Related Harms on Social Media: Machine Learning Framework.

Background: A hallmark of unregulated drug markets is their unpredictability and constant evolution with newly introduced substances. People who use drugs and the public health workforce are often unaware of the appearance of new drugs on the unregulated market and their type, safe dosage, and potential adverse effects. This increases risks to people who use drugs, including the risk of unknown consumption and unintentional drug poisoning.

New perspectives on how to formulate alcohol drinking guidelines.

Background: Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines (LRDGs) aim to reduce the harms caused by alcohol. However, considerable discrepancies exist in the 'low-risk' thresholds employed by different countries.

Argument/analysis: Drawing upon Canada's LRDGs update process, the current paper offers the following propositions for debate regarding the establishment of 'low-risk' thresholds in national guidelines: (1) as an indicator of health loss, years of life lost (YLL) has several advantages that could make it more suitable for setting guidelines than deaths, premature deaths or disability adjusted years of life (DALYs) lost.