Aug 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day

August 29, 2022

International Overdose Awareness Day is a reminder of the harm that drugs inflict on our society — especially illegal drug toxicity deaths, which continue to set records in BC and across Canada. International Overdose Awareness Day also aims to reduce the stigma attached to the issue, most of which is unfairly faced by victims and their families. The Children’s Health Policy Centre takes the position that for youth, most risk factors for problematic substance use relate to adverse family circumstances, in particular, family socio-economic disadvantage. A recent issue of the Children’s Mental Health Quarterly explored the topic of how to prevent problematic substance use among youth.