On January 25, 2021, colleagues from across the healthcare community will gather for a virtual conference on high-risk substance use and overdose among youth.

The rising numbers of young people with high-risk substance use and risk of overdose is concerning. We know that effective care for adolescents needs to address their specific complex needs. Their patterns of use are more often explorative, and they nearly always come with early trauma experience and mental health challenges. Any overdose event increases the risk of a subsequent one. Young people who use drugs are also not benefitting from most adult harm reduction or treatment services, or are even excluded from them. At the same time, youth substance use services are rare.

This event will provide an opportunity to explore the public health crisis from different perspectives, hear experiences of dealing with youth in the substance use field and shine a light on the system of care and treatment paradigms that could drive an effective response. You will also learn about individual experiences, the data from British Columbia and Canada, and international evidence and research in the field.

Keynote speakers:

• Dr Rachel Alinsky, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, John Hopkins School of Medicine
• Dr Michael Krausz, Leadership Chair, Addiction Research, University of British Columbia, Chair, World Psychiatric Association Section on Addiction Psychiatry, and President and Chair, InnerChange Foundation
• Dr Ian Hickie, Co-director, Health and Policy, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, and Professor, Psychiatry, University of Sydney

Registration: https://acdresearch.med.ubc.ca/high-risk-substance-use-and-overdose-among-youth-conference-registration/

Website: https://acdresearch.med.ubc.ca/events/high-risk-substance-use-and-overdose-among-youth-conference/