Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Canada is experiencing a serious overdose crisis which has significantly impacted young people who use drugs. Illegal street drugs often contain dangerous substances, most notably illegally manufactured fentanyl, leading to skyrocketing overdose deaths. British Columbia (BC) has become the epicentre of this crisis. For young people aged 19-29, the overdose death rate has jumped dramatically from 8.8 per 100,000 population in 2012 to 40.3 per 100,000 in 2023. Overdoses are now the leading cause of death among those aged 10-59. To combat this, the BC government has introduced and scaled up several programs. One such program, called prescribed safer supply (PSS), gives people who use drugs access to pharmaceutical-grade opioids as alternatives to toxic street drugs. These programs are rapidly evolving, and it is important to evaluate their effectiveness to guide program design and avoid any unintended consequences. However, there is currently no research on how PSS programs affect street-involved youth and young adults who use drugs (YWUD). To address this gap, I will analyze longitudinal data from an established cohort of >1,500 street-involved YWUD in Vancouver to: 1) characterize uptake and engagement in PSS among YWUD; 2) assess the relationship between PSS and risks of fatal and non-fatal overdose; and 3) investigate whether opioid use changes (increases, decreases, or stays the same) among YWUD who are and are not accessing PSS. In response to an identified government priority, I aim to generate high-quality scientific evidence evaluating the impacts of PSS for a vulnerable group. The findings of this research will be shared with government policymakers and has the potential to inform evidence-based responses to the ongoing overdose crisis.