For Nicole Luongo, substances like alcohol and heroin are only separated by the thin line of what society deems moral or legal. Luongo is a systems change coordinator for the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC), which aims to reduce the stigma faced by people who use drugs. Luongo, who has an MA in sociology from the University of British Columbia, focuses on “medical sociology,” or “the medicalization of deviant behaviours.” She explained in an interview with The Peak how “behaviours that are seen as anomalous” are often “made medical through policy and law,” and how those restrictions act as “a…
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International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), marked on August 31, recognizes the global effect of drug overdose and commemorates those who lost their lives. The campaign was initiated by Sally J. Finn in Melbourne in 2001. A report from the First…
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Health Canada declared a three year exemption for BC from criminal convictions in case of certain illicit drugs for personal use. The exemption trial will begin January 31, 2023 and last until January 31, 2026. The drugs will continue to…
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For the past two years, BC has been plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in thousands of deaths. However, there are numbers we don’t see often: those of overdose-related deaths. In a faculty lecture hosted by SFU Public…
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As vaccinations become available for Vancouver, the grim battle against COVID-19 begins to look more hopeful. The days of self-isolation now have a clearer finish line, and normalcy is coming closer and closer. Yet in Vancouver, a part of the…
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