Substance use health and harm reduction

Overview

Many substances, including alcohol, cannabis, nicotine (in tobacco and some vapes), and caffeine can alter someone’s mental, emotional, or physical state. All substance use carries some risk, and it’s important to consider the short-term and long-term effects on your wellbeing as a student.  

No unregulated drug is safe, and prescription drugs not dispensed directly from a pharmacy also come with risk. 

Fentanyl and carfentanyl are strong opioid painkillers that are being mixed into the unregulated drug supply in Vancouver. A miniscule amount of fentanyl or analogs (carfentanyl) can be fatal. Fentanyl has been found in many unregulated drugs, and benzodiazepines are also increasingly mixed into the drug supply.  

When using unregulated drugs, there is no way to know the exact contents of those drugs. One form of harm reduction is drug checking, which can provide you with more information about the contents of those drugs. 

You can learn more about fentanyl and about benzodiazepines on the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health website. 

Not using substances altogether has the lowest risk. If you are using drugs, you can make a plan to reduce possible harms. 

Harm reduction and safer drug use

If you use or intend to use unregulated drugs, including prescription drugs not directly dispensed from a pharmacy, there are steps you can take to reduce potential harms: 

Find out more by taking the SAVE lives: Harm Reduction and Naloxone Training Canvas course. You can also request a workshop from UBC Wellness Centre and AMS Peer Support. You can also access the Naloxone 101 Training course from Toward the Heart. 

Fentanyl test strips

Test strips can identify fentanyl in a small amount of a substance mixed in water. You can get free, anonymous test strips at the following UBC locations: 

AMS Nest:  

  • AMS Resource Groups Lobby, second floor beside the Hatch Art Gallery, on the resource table upon entry 
  • AMS Peer Support, Room 3125 
  • The AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC), Room 3130, on the resource table outside the Centre 

Other locations: 

  • Nurse on Campus nurses can demonstrate the use of test strips.  
  • The UBC Wellness Centre resource table, room 1400 in the UBC Life Building 
  • Counseling Services front desk, room 1040 in Brock Hall 
  • Student Health Services front desks at room S267, Koerner Pavilion; and room 1030, Orchard Commons 

Use the UBC Harm Reduction Resources List and Map for a more detailed list of harm reduction resources and supplies. 

Drug checking (testing)

Free, anonymous drug checking supplies are available on campus at the UBC Life Building. The Wellness Centre also runs Drug Checking events a few times a year on campus.   

Outside UBC, you can find drug checking services across BC, including safer consumption sites as well as toxic drug alerts via text message. 

Recognize the signs of an overdose or drug poisoning

Look for the following signs: 

  • Not moving and can’t be woken up, or unresponsive 
  • Breathing is slow or stopped 
  • Choking, gurgling or snoring sounds 
  • Lips and nails may be a blue or ashy colour 
  • Skin is cold and clammy 
  • Pupils are tiny 

Responding to an overdose or drug poisoning

If someone is experiencing a known or suspected overdose, there is no time to waste. 

  1. Immediately call 911 
  2. Give Naloxone 
  3. Call Campus Security: 604 822 2222 

You are protected by the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act—even if you have a small amount of substance on you. You will not get in trouble with UBC, Student Housing, the police, or Citizenship and Immigration Canada for calling 911. 

To learn more about the Good Samaritan Act, and to find out how to respond to accidental drug poisoning, enroll in the SAVE Lives: Harm Reduction and Naloxone Training Canvas course. 

Naloxone kits

Naloxone is a medication that reverses overdose and accidental drug poisoning from fentanyl and other opioids.  

You can pick up free intramuscular (injectable) naloxone kit to carry with you, as well as training on how to administer it, at the following locations:  

UBC Wellness Centre

Pick up fentanyl test strips and Naloxone kits during opening hours and check the Wellness Centre Instagram page for info on training. 

AMS Peer Support

Drop-in free Naloxone training, free harm reduction supplies and free fentanyl test strips are available in Nest 3125 on Mon to Fri, from 11 am to 2 pm.

AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre

Get Naloxone kits and training from the staff at the SASC on the third floor of the AMS Nest, to the right of the main elevators. 

BC pharmacies

Take an online naloxone training and/or pick up a kit at any BC pharmacy. 

Emergency nasal naloxone kits are installed in UBC residences and located with AEDs across campus for use in an emergency.  

When to seek help for substance abuse

If you are curious about seeking help, consider the following questions, and explore support options available to UBC students below. 

  • Are you curious to explore your relationship to substance use in a way that can positively impact your wellbeing? 
  • Do you wish to change your relationship with alcohol and/or other substances? 
  • Has your relationship with substances impacted your daily life and/or relationships? 
  • Are you looking to explore resources or reach out to someone to talk to about substance use? 

Online resources

The following resources are easily accessible and can help you learn more about substance use. 

  • HealthLink BC
    Call 811 at any time during the day to get information on substance use and support.
  • Here to Help
    Download a workbook to help you reflect on your substance use.
  • Toward the Heart
    Information about opioid drug poisoning, naloxone, and other harm reduction strategies. You can also find out where to pick up a naloxone kit across BC.
  • Foundry
    Find alcohol and substance use self-check tools and learn about different types of substances.
  • TAO Self-Help
    Sign up with your UBC student email for tools to help you reflect on your substance use.
  • First Nations Health Authority
    Explore an Indigenous-focused All-Paths-Lead-to-Wellness approach.

Peer support

It might be easier to talk with a trained peer-support student staff about substance use. They may understand what you’re going through and can offer helpful resources. These services are safe, inclusive, and confidential. 

  • UBC Student Recovery Community
    The UBC Student Recovery Community (SRC) is a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for students who are in recovery, or curious to learn about their relationship with alcohol, drugs, and/or addictive behaviours.
  • AMS Peer Support
    Get free, confidential one-on-one peer support, naloxone training for individuals and groups, fentanyl test strips, peer support group sessions, and workshops on mental health and harm reduction.

Professional help

If you think a health or mental health professional could help, here are some services available to you:

  • Access and Assessment Centre
    Call or visit in person for emergency or non-emergency mental health and substance use services at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH).
  • UBC Counselling Services
    If substance use is affecting your daily life, it may be helpful to speak with a Wellness Advisor.
  • UBC Student Health Service
    You can also book an appointment to talk to a medical professional about your substance use concerns.

24/7 services

The intentional use of substances to facilitate sexual assault

Using drugs, including alcohol, to deliberately create a situation in which a person is incapacitated (and therefore cannot give consent) to pursue sexual contact or attention is substance-facilitated sexual assault. 

Anyone who has been impacted by substance-facilitated sexual assault deserves support. Confidential, non-judgmental support is available at the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO). 

UBC Wellness Centre

Pick up harm reduction supplies 

Naloxone training, fentanyl test strips, and drug checking resources are available on campus. 

In response to the toxic drug crisis in British Columbia, naloxone kits, fentanyl test strips, and drug testing are available for free and anonymously at the UBC Wellness Centre and across campus. 

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