Health Reports

A Canadian peer-reviewed journal of population health and health services research

July 2022

Risk of non-medical drug overdose following prescription of opioids post-injury: A retrospective cohort study

by Alex Zheng, Aamir Bharmal, Fahra Rajabali, Kate Turcotte, Larry Thomas, Len Garis and Ian Pike

In 2016, a public health emergency was declared in British Columbia (BC), Canada in response to a rapid increase in illegal drug overdose deaths. A major contributing factor to the overdose crisis in BC has been the introduction of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues into the illicit drug supply. Another potential driver has been the non-medical use of opioids, which were heavily prescribed as pain management medication during the early 2000s. Increased scrutiny of opioid prescribing and interest in opioid deprescribing by health professional organizations is hypothesized to have impeded access to pharmaceutical opioids, particularly among those with opioid use disorder (OUD), forcing people to turn to the illegal, and often contaminated, drug supply for opioid needs, in which they are at higher risk of overdose.

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Risk of non-medical drug overdose following prescription of opioids after injury: A retrospective cohort study

Prevalence trends and factors associated with vaping in Ontario (2015 to 2018) and Quebec (2017 to 2019), Canada

by Christine D. Czoli, Gabriella Luongo and Trevor Mischki

There has been a substantial increase in the use of vaping products (also known as electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, with or without nicotine) among Canadians in recent years. Data from the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSTADS) indicate that the prevalence of vaping (or e-cigarette use) in the past 30 days among students in grades 7 to 12 doubled from 10% in 2015/2016 to 20% in 2018/2019. While not directly comparable, results from the 2017 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS) and the 2019 Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (CTNS) show an increasing trend in vaping prevalence among Canadians aged 15 years and older, from 3% in 2017 to 5% in 2019. This upward trend appears to have been driven primarily by uptake among youth aged 15 to 19 and young adults aged 20 to 24, among whom prevalence of vaping was 15% in 2019. Findings from the CTNS also show a high frequency of use, with 44% of Canadians aged 15 years and older who vaped in the past 30 days reporting daily use.

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Prevalence trends and factors associated with vaping in Ontario (2015 to 2018) and Quebec (2017 to 2019), Canada

Correlates of vaping among adolescents in Canada

by Michelle Rotermann and Heather Gilmour

Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling vapour, which can include nicotine and flavourings, produced by devices such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), vape pens, vape mods, or vaporizers. Recent devices are rechargeable, can resemble compact USB flash drives, and often use nicotine salts, which tend to contain more nicotine than liquids. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that affects attention, cognition and mood and can affect developing adolescent brains.

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Correlates of vaping among adolescents in Canada

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