DRUG STUDY AIMS TO STOP DEATHS

The tragic overdose death of a University of Victoria student
underscores the importance of a recent study that attempts to answer:
how can we stop drugs from killing kids?

Dr. Tim Stockwell's report, "Interventions to Reduce Harm Associated
with Adolescent Substance Use," coincides with the news of 22-year-old
UVic student Zoe Read's mistaken overdose on GHB.

As the UVic community grieves for her passing, many want to know how
substance abuse deaths can be prevented from happening in the future.

Stockwell, a UVic psychologist and the director of the university's
Centre for Addictions Research of B.C., outlines several strategies he
believes would effectively reduce the harms associated with substance
abuse.

His five-year study, published in the medical journal The Lancet,
distilled information from thousands of sources. He determined that
combining regulatory, early-intervention and harm-reduction
approaches, would be the most effective strategy for reducing the
risks associated with substance abuse.

Stockwell argues that regulating cannabis would undercut the black
market and give health authorities the opportunity to educate the
public about the risks.

Stockwell's study ranked drugs in terms of their relative harmfulness.
Heroin and cocaine topped the list, while other drugs like ecstasy
were somewhere near the bottom.

He maintains we need a rational system that allows us to regulate
different substances in different ways.

Stockwell is hoping the study can be used as a guide for government
investment in harm reduction strategies.