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Summer Webinar Series
NEW: The Drug Crisis
August 26, Part 1: How Did We Get Here?
September 9, Part 2: Where Do We Go Now?
September 17: Community Policing and Healthcare Partnerships
Recordings coming soon for:
Small Cities Initiative and Municipal Leaders Table
How Data Can Help Municipalities
Collaborating Effectively with Government
New Release
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Issue 6: Recent Trends in Opioid-Related Toxicity Deaths in Canada
This issue features a regional breakdown of reports from six CCENDU sites and three drug checking services across the country. It focuses on the potential drivers of the national decrease in opioid-related toxicity deaths from 2023 to 2024, and includes high-level trends seen in early 2025.
CCSA’s Issues of Substance Conference
Get early-bird pricing for CCSA’s Issues of Substance conference while you still can!
Take advantage of the early-bird discount before Friday, Sept. 19, 11:59 p.m., EDT. Add your name to the 400+ already registered and join us in Halifax! There’s plenty to learn and experience: With more than 125 presentations, 100 poster presentations, over a dozen panels and eight workshops, you’ll have 90+ hours of educational content on substance use health to choose from.
Share your story:
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Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health — Impact Survey
We are collecting real stories from people in Canada about their experiences with Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health (CGAH).
We would like to know how learning about CGAH has changed or impacted your drinking habits or beliefs. Whether your changes are big or small, your perspective is valuable!
CCSA will use the information you share with us in several ways to help promote the importance and impact of the guidance.
Youth-tested ways to prevent and reduce substance use harm
We listened to young people in Canada through diverse advisory councils and lived experience committees, and their voices revealed what truly works to reduce youth substance use harms. Our comprehensive report shares their tips so educators, service providers and other adult allies can spark caring conversations about substance use.
Now Available!
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Workplaces and Substance Use Infographic Series
This series looks at the effects of substance use health in the workplace.
The four industries studied for this series are:
- Natural resources (oil and gas, forestry, and Mining Industries)
- Construction
- Safety-sensitive positions (e.g., airline pilots, heavy equipment operators, medical practitioners).
- Non–safety-sensitive positions (e.g., office staff, retail clerks, bank managers).
Each series of infographics examines four key areas: Use and perceptions, workplace culture, stigma, and policies and training.
Save the Date
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Monthly Drug Checking Office Hours
Drop in virtually every second Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2 p.m. ET for Drug Checking Office Hours. Connect with experts from the National Drug Checking Working Group, ask questions, and explore the latest in drug checking practices and tools.
Get the Facts
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Involuntary Treatment
You may have heard of involuntary treatment for severe substance use disorders, but what is it, really? Does it help people? Does it help communities? Check out our evidence brief and poster for answers to these questions. Have conversations empowered by facts.
Implementing Workforce Competencies Across Canada
Our partners have shared that the workforce competencies are an incredibly important, trustworthy, evidence-informed resource for the substance use workforce. They are being used nationally, in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to inform roles and scope of practice, job postings, onboarding programs, advocacy tools, and professional development.
CCSA developed competencies for physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners to increase the volume of prescribers who feel competent to address substance use health concerns, and to support the standardization of quality care across Canada. CCSA continues to support implementation of the competencies, most recently at a new treatment centre in Winnipeg, and to inform an Inuit-led approach to workforce development for a new treatment centre in Iqaluit.
INTRODUCING
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Subscribe to the CCENDU Newsletter
CCSA co-ordinates with the Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (CCENDU) to publish this newsletter, Substance Use Trends in Canada. It informs people living in Canada about emerging substance use issues and trends, pulling from a variety of information sources.
Subscribe to receive key info on drug trends right to your inbox!
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Guidance, Tools and Resources
CCSA produces research-based publications, tools, and resources to support evidence-based decision-making on substance use health issues. Select your area of interest from the six categories below:
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Substances
Delve into key resources on commonly used substances, such as alcohol, cannabis, opioids, stimulants and psychedelics. Learn about their effects, usage patterns, associated health and social consequences, and harm reduction considerations
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Personal and Societal Impacts
Get insights on the personal and societal impacts of substance use and addiction , including gambling and impaired driving, and their effects on health, safety, and social well-being. Learn about effective prevention and harm-reduction strategies in various sectors.
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Communities
Communities share common interests, values or goals, and interact with one another to build relationships and help networks. These materials support more inclusive, equitable, and community-informed responses to substance use and addiction. Dive into resources highlighting people with lived and living experience, stigma, sex- and gender-based analysis, Indigenous Peoples, and housing.
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Treatment and Prevention
Explore medical, psychological, and social approaches aimed at helping individuals avoid or recover from substance use disorders. Get the facts on public health topics and learn about collaborative efforts to reduce stigma and promote more equitable, inclusive responses to substance use.
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Youth
Learn about factors influencing substance use in young people, including childhood trauma and brain development, and get tools to support adult allies in leading meaningful, evidence-informed conversations with youth. Content promotes early prevention, harm reduction and supportive environments for youth up to age 25.
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Substance Use and the Workplace
Substance use has a significant impact on the workplace, potentially affecting safety, productivity and employee well-being. Explore research on substance use in various industries. Resources support workplace leaders in building more supportive, stigma-free environments through practical strategies, improved approaches and initiative-taking education.
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CCSA News
and Updates
Visit this page for our latest news and publications.
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CCSA Events
Learn about our upcoming and past events!
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CCSA Publications
CCSA produces a variety of substance use- and addiction-related publications for researchers, policy makers and health service providers. Browse our publications!
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Canadian Data Trends
CCSA provides up-to-date statistics on substance use, trends, and consequences to support evidence-informed decisions and harm reduction. We synthesize national data from various sources to offer a comprehensive overview.
