Together, we
can do this
Strategies to Address British Columbia’s Prescription Opioid Crisis
Recommendations from the British Columbia Node of the
Canadian Research Initiative on Substance Misuse
November 2015

1

 Together, we can do this
Strategies to Address British Columbia’s
Prescription Opioid Crisis
Recommendations from the British Columbia Node of
the Canadian Research Initiative on Substance Misuse

30

Executive summary

fig 1

Annual opioid dispensing
(not including methadone)
in BC, 2005–2013

25

20

15

10

Weak opioids
5

Strong opioids
Fischer et al., 2014.
* DDD = defined daily dose

DDD/1000 population/day

Recent events in British Columbia have highlighted the
urgency with which policy makers, regulatory bodies and
clinicians need to act together to address the public health
harms related to pharmaceutical opioids and other addictive
pharmaceutical drugs. This report briefly describes the
provincial pharmaceutical opioid problem and provides
several key recommendations for immediate steps to reduce
fatal overdoses, misuse, addiction and other severe harms
related to unsafe opioid prescribing in BC.

0
2005

2009

2013

1

 The prescription opioid epidemic

In addition to an increased rate of opioid
prescribing, there is evidence of inappropriate
and high-risk opioid prescribing practices
in BC. For instance, while patients on
methadone commonly have chronic pain,
past research suggests that 35% of patients
on methadone maintenance treatment in
BC are co-prescribed opioids that are often
not prescribed by the patient’s primary
methadone provider.12 This is problematic
since co-prescriptions with methadone
have important safety considerations, as
evidenced by a recent study of provincial
mortality data found that methadone
was involved in 25% of pharmaceutical
opioid-related deaths in BC.13 Equally
concerning are the persistently high rates
of benzodiazepine prescribing in BC,14 given
that co-prescription of benzodiazepines and
opioids has long been known to be a major
risk factor for fatal overdose.15-18

Coinciding with the dramatic increases in
opioid prescribing in BC, there are high rates
of opioid dependence, addiction and misuse
that have contributed to significant health
and social harms. In 2013, there were more
than 330 deaths in BC related to illegal drug
overdose including opioids. Of these deaths,
87% were accidental.19 Pharmaceutical
opioids account for a large proportion of
these deaths, to the extent that the number
of pharmaceutical opioidfig 2
related deaths exceeds the
number of deaths from motor
5
vehicle accidents involving
Pharmaceuধcal opioids
alcohol in BC (Figure 2).13,19–21
4
Furthermore, among the
pharmaceutical opioidrelated deaths in BC, 93%
3
involved at least one other
high-risk medication (e.g.,
benzodiazepines).21 Although
2
rates of prescription opioidrelated death in BC have
1
Alcohol/drug-related
plateaued in recent years, the
motor vehicle accidents
province is still experiencing
annual mortality rates of
0
close to 4 deaths per 100,000
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
people.13
Year
deaths per 100,000 people per year in BC

Canada has the second highest opioid
consumption rate among developed
countries, with the rate of pharmaceutical
opioid use tripling in Canada over the past
decade.1-3 Despite similar rates of chronic
pain across Canada, there is substantial
variation in the rates and types of opioids
prescribed across provinces.4-8 For example,
British Columbia (BC) dispenses more than
double the amount of opioids compared
to Quebec, the lowest opioid dispensing
province.6,8 Additionally, from 2005 to 2011,
the rate of dispensing strong opioids in BC
increased by almost 50% overall, including
a 135% increase in oxycodone dispensation.6
Notably, these increases in opioid prescribing
conflict with the increasing body of research
suggesting that opioids may have limited
long-term effectiveness for treating chronic
non-cancer pain, and that the risk profile of
opioids may outweigh their potential shortterm benefits in cases of mild to moderate
acute pain.9-11

More people die in BC each year from
Studies ha ve sug gested
pharmaceutical opioids (including
that approximately 40% of
methadone) than from alcohol/drugprescribed pharmaceutical
related motor vehicle accidents.13,19–21
opioid-related deaths occur
among people who are
prescribed opioids above recommended
safe-dosing guidelines.22 Furthermore,
deaths related to prescribed pharmaceutical
opioids correlate strongly with rates of
opioid dispensation in BC.23 In addition to
opioid overdose and mortality,24 there are
extensive health and social harms associated
with pharmaceutical opioids, including
injuries and trauma;25 increased risk of costly
emergency department visits;26,27 diversion to
street-based markets, drug dealing and other

2

 addiction-associated petty crime.3,28 Additionally
concerning is evidence highlighting the growing
number of infants being born with opioid
addiction in Canada.29 Finally, recent evidence has
demonstrated that many individuals who initially
used pharmaceutical opioids or benzodiazepines
illicitly may eventually transition to heroin or
intravenous drug use thus substantially increasing
the risk for blood-borne infections and overdose.30-36
In the face of this evidence, change has been slow
to come. This brief paper was prepared through

the secretariat of the British Columbia node
of the CIHR Canadian Research Initiative on
Substance Misuse (CRISM). The development
of this document included a range of expert
stakeholders through the network’s membership
and other experts (Appendix A). This urgent call
to action outlines changes that can be immediately
implemented in BC to substantially reduce the rates
of overdose death, addiction and related harms that
stem directly from the current system.

Urgent need for action in British Columbia
While the pharmaceutical opioid epidemic has
emerged throughout North America, recent events
in BC have highlighted the urgency with which BC
policy makers must act to address the public health
harms related to pharmaceutical opioids and other
addictive pharmaceutical drugs. Despite the scale
of the present public health problem, strategies to
meaningfully address unsafe prescribing have not
been implemented. This is despite the fact that,
ultimately, prescribers are largely responsible for
the burgeoning illicit market in pharmaceutical
opioids that has developed on the streets of BC.37-40
In fact, the entry of organized crime groups into
the manufacturing of counterfeit pharmaceutical
opioids (which often contain fentanyl) to fuel
the street market for illicit or diverted opioids is
arguably a direct result of longstanding unsafe
physician prescribing practices.41-43
Specifically, BC has witnessed a spike in fentanyl
related overdoses and deaths. Within only two
years, there has been a seven-fold increase in
fentanyl detected deaths in BC (from 13 deaths
in 2012 to 90 deaths in 2014), representing 25%
of all illicit drug related deaths in the province in
2014.44,45 In 2015, there have been several high profile
deaths from fentanyl in BC,46-48 as well as 16 cases
of suspected fentanyl overdoses in a single day in
Vancouver.49-51 This worsening of the situation has
occurred despite focused drug-law enforcement on
the illicit fentanyl trade that has included at least
11 search warrants, 8 charges and 500,000 pills

seized in Metro Vancouver alone.41,52,53 Based on
past evidence regarding the limited effectiveness
of police seizures on controlling the availability
of illicit drugs, it is unlikely that law enforcement
efforts are a promising solution to this problem.54,55

In 2015, sixteen cases of
suspected fentanyl overdoses
were once reported in a single
day in Vancouver.
Equally concerning are the persistently high
prescribing rates of benzodiazepines in BC.
Benzodiazepines are sedating hypnotic medications
that, despite limited evidence of effectiveness
and clear evidence of harms (e.g., addiction, fatal
overdose, etc.), continue to be regularly used to treat
sleep disorders and other minor health conditions
for which there are much safer alternatives. In fact,
benzodiazepines remain among the most commonly
prescribed and misused types of psychoactive drug
in the world, despite their link to serious harms,
including cognitive impairment and decline (i.e.,
dementia), accidents and injuries, dependence and
addiction, and fatal overdose — especially when used
in combination with opioids or alcohol.56-58 Locally,
recent research has found that benzodiazepine use

3

 was associated with elevated rates of HIV infection
among a cohort of people who inject drugs, and
addiction to benzodiazepines is known to be
extremely difficult to treat.59 In light of these risks,
many clinical guidelines now recommend against
prescribing benzodiazepines, yet inappropriate
prescribing has continued to persist in BC.14 As a
result, the percentage of pharmaceutical opioid
related overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines
in BC increased 600% between 2004 and 2013.13

Areas for intervention
In the wake of the crisis that exists in BC, there has
yet to be sufficient action from various colleges (i.e.,
College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, College
of Pharmacists of BC, College of Registered Nurses
of BC, College of Dental Surgeons of BC, College
of Veterinarians of BC) or other regulatory bodies
across the province. This situation is likely a result
of these groups waiting on Health Canada for
action, coupled with the fact that no single group
(e.g., regulatory bodies, police, etc.) has a clear
mandate to address the current epidemic.
Fortunately, BC is uniquely positioned to rapidly
implement several safeguards to reduce unsafe
prescribing practices through the province’s
PharmaNet system and other interventions.
PharmaNet is an electronic information system
that records data (e.g., drug name, dose, quantity,
duration, prescribing practitioner, dispensing
pharmacy) on all prescriptions dispensed at
community pharmacies in BC.60 Previous research
has suggested that the real-time, centralized
nature of PharmaNet, which allows prescribers
and pharmacists to access patients’ current
prescription information, can be effective in
reducing inappropriate prescriptions of opioids
and benzodiazepines by approximately 30-50%.61
Notably, this study was performed at a time
when only pharmacies had access to PharmaNet,
suggesting that there is room for even greater
reduction of inappropriate prescribing if
PharmaNet is more widely utilized by prescribers
and pharmacies. To this end, enabling physicians
and nurse practitioners to access patients’ opioid

prescription history promotes optimal opioid
prescribing practices.62
However, presently, physicians and nurse
practitioners in BC are able — but not required — to
use PharmaNet when prescribing medications.
Here, it is estimated that less than 30% of
physicians in BC have enrolled for PharmaNet,62
which means that over 70% of BC physicians may
be writing opioid prescriptions without knowing if
the patient in front of them is already prescribed
opioids from multiple other practitioners. This is a
very real concern, as evidenced by the case of one
BC resident who received more than 23,000 pills of
oxycodone from more than 50 physicians and 100
pharmacies over five years.64

Over 70% of BC physicians
may be writing opioid
prescriptions without knowing
if the patient in front of them is
already prescribed opioids from
multiple other practitioners.
Additionally, practitioners who do not use
PharmaNet may be unaware if a patient is receiving
medications that pose high risk for overdose if coprescribed with opioids, such as benzodiazepines
or methadone. Furthermore, it is not currently
required that benzodiazepines are prescribed on a
duplicate prescription pad, which is an additional
safeguard that is in place for opioids and other
medications that pose high risk for misuse,
diversion or overdose.65 Prescription monitoring for
benzodiazepines has already been enacted in other
settings including Alberta and New York.66,67 A study
of the New York triplicate prescription program
found that benzodiazepine prescribing was reduced
by nearly 50% after the program’s implementation.
These reductions were sustained for at least seven
years after the program’s implementation, and most

4

 patients did not require supplemental medication
once their benzodiazepine prescriptions were
discontinued.67
In addition to clinic-level prescribing practices,
due to common pain and injury presentations,
emergency departments can be another source of
opioids. One study conducted at Vancouver General
Hospital found that patients who were prescribed
opioids upon discharge from the emergency
department had triple the odds of experiencing
an adverse event within two weeks.68 Given the
demands placed on emergency department staff
for providing pain relief among injured and
other patients who present to emergency rooms,
research and educational interventions tailored to
emergency department settings — such as clinical
guidelines, electronic decision support tools, and
clinician education — require resources to support
opportunities for safer opioid prescribing in this
environment.
In the absence of the above safeguards, some
limitations of Canadian prescribers should be noted.
For instance, physicians in BC have traditionally

received little training on how to safely prescribe
opioids or how to identify and treat opioid
addiction. In fact, only one third of Canadian
universities provide mandatory instruction in pain
management as part of undergraduate medical
training. Not surprisingly, it has been estimated
that only approximately 30% of Canadian family
physicians feel strongly confident in their opioid
prescribing skills.69,70 Furthermore, primary care
physicians have demonstrated high rates of
continuing ineffective opioid prescriptions, being
unaware of opioid monitoring guidelines and
demonstrating low levels of knowledge regarding
safe opioid prescribing in the context of chronic
pain treatment.62 Similarly, previous studies have
found that up to 94% of primary care physicians
may be unable to identify symptoms or methods of
problematic substance use.71-73 Recommendations
regarding the need for greater investment in
prescriber education (including nurse practitioners
and other prescribers) in addiction and pain
management, including the role of non-opioid
analgesics for pain management, are described on
the next page.

5

 Recommendations
In light of the evidence and the unique characteristics
of the system of care in BC, a number of steps should
immediately be taken to reduce the harms of the
pharmaceutical opioid epidemic in British Columbia.
These steps include:
STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVED
PRESCRIBING PRACTICES
1.  Make registration for PharmaNet free, and legally
require all clinicians with prescribing authority
to be registered for PharmaNet and routinely
check patients’ PharmaNet profiles when writing
prescriptions. Exemptions to this requirement could
be provided for individuals who practice in areas
without Internet access or with other barriers.
2.  Revise duplicate prescription pads
to include a checkbox indicating
that the prescribing practitioner
has fulfilled his or her legal
responsibility to review a patient’s
PharmaNet record, thereby
ruling out duplicate or high-risk
co-prescriptions.
3.  Put in place enforcement measures to ensure that
pharmacies are checking PharmaNet to confirm
that duplicate prescriptions or other evidence of
inappropriate medical care is further brought to the
attention of prescribing practitioners and regulatory
authorities.
4.  Change requirements for benzodiazepine prescribing
such that benzodiazepines require a prescription on
a duplicate prescription pad, in the same way that
opioid prescriptions must be written in BC.65,67
5.  Implement a maximum upper dispense limit for the
amount of opioids that a patient may be dispensed at
any one time.
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE
OPIOID ADDICTION CARE
6.  Dedicate investments into addiction treatment.
For instance, buprenorphine/naloxone—a proven
treatment for opioid addiction—should be the first
line pharmacotherapy option (along with methadone)
for opioid addiction, given its superior safety
profile with respect to overdose risk compared to
methadone.74-77

7.  Improve access to buprenorphine/naloxone by
eliminating the requirement that prescribers
must have methadone exemptions in order to
prescribe buprenorphine/naloxone.
This requirement is unnecessar y
given the low misuse potential of
buprenorphine/naloxone and the low
number of buprenorphine/naloxone
prescribers the exemption requirement
creates.78 In lieu of the methadone
exemption, prescribers would be
required to complete an online training module on
buprenorphine/naloxone prescribing.
8.  Invest in recovery-oriented care for individuals with
opioid addiction.
9.  Consider comprehensive patient education with
regards to risks of poly-substance use and overdose
prevention, recognition and response including take
home naloxone prescription.79,80
10.  Increase prescribers’ capacity for opioid agonist
treatments (e.g., methadone and buprenorphine/
naloxone) via novel collaborative strategies.
LONG-TERM STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE
PRESCRIBER KNOWLEDGE
11.  Invest in BC’s medical curricula and continuing
medical education for physicians, nurses and other
clinicians in addiction diagnosis, treatment and
recovery; pain management including
the use of non-opioid analgesics; and
safe opioid prescribing, including the
potential for serious adverse effects
when opioids are co-prescribed
with benzodiazepines and other
psychotropic medications.38,81
12.  Coinciding with benzodiazepines transitioning to
a duplicate prescription requirement, investment
should be made in education for BC prescribers on
the known serious harms and clinical limitations of
benzodiazepines, as well as the availability of safer
alternatives.82
13.  Support research and educational interventions in
emergency departments to enhance safer opioid
prescribing practices in this setting.83-86
If these evidence-based recommendations are enacted
quickly, BC has the potential to dramatically reduce
fatal overdoses, abuse, addiction and other severe harms
related to unsafe opioid prescribing.
Together, we can do this. The time for action is now.

6

 Appendix A: Contributors and endorsers
1. 

Keith Ahamad, MD, CCFP, Dip ABAM

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Providence Health Care / Vancouver Coastal Health
Research Scientist, B.C. Centre for Excellence in
HIV/AIDS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine,
UBC
2. 

Sandra Allison, MPH, CCFP, FRCPC

Chief Medical Health Officer, Northern Health
Adjunct Professor, School of Health Sciences,
UNBC
Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Population
and Public Health, UBC
3. 

5. 

Bill Bullock, MD, CCFP

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician, Victoria
Community Detox
7. 

Susan Burgess, MD

Family and Communty Medicine Physician,
Providence Health Care / Vancouver Coastal Health
Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine,
UBC
8. 

13. 

14. 

10. 

15. 

Executive Vice President, Clinical Integration and
Renewal
Providence Health Care
Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, UBC

Richard Dubras, MSc, MEd

Executive Director, Richmond Addiction Services
Society
British Columbia Association of Clinical
Counsellors
16. 

Nadia Fairbairn, MD, FRCPC

Fellow, St. Paul’s Hospital Goldcorp Addiction
Medicine Fellowship
17. 

Caroline Ferris, MD, CCFP, FCFP

Primary Care and Addiction Medicine Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine,
UBC
18. 

Michelle Fortin

Co-Chair, B.C. Alliance for Mental Health/Illness
and Problematic Substance Use
Executive Director, Watari Counselling & Support
Services

Jane A. Buxton MOBS, MHSc, FRCPC
David W. Byres, MSN, BA, RN, CHE

Cassandra Djurfors, MD, CCFP

Medical Coordinator, Raven Song Primary Care,
Vancouver Coastal Health

Mike Burns, MD, CCFP

Professor and Director MPH Practicum, School of
Population and Public Health, UBC

Trevor A. Corneil, MHSc, MD, FCFP, FRCPC

Chief Medical Health Officer, Interior Health
Drug Overdose and Alert Partnership Committee
Member
Clinical Professor, School of Population and Public
Health, UBC

Family Physician, Providence Health Care
9. 

Veronic Clair, MD, MSc, CCFP, FRCPC, PhD

Addiction Medicine Physician, Vancouver Coastal
Health
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, SFU
Clinical Faculty, Faculty of Medicine, UBC

James I. Brooks, MD, FRCPC

Medical Director, Communicable Disease
Prevention and Control Service
British Columbia Centre for Disease Control
6. 

12. 

Neal Berger

Executive Director, Cedars at Cobble Hill
Addiction Treatment Centre

Rashmi Chadha, MBChB, MScCH, CCFP,
ABAM

Addiction Medicine Physician, Vancouver Coastal
Health
Medical Consultant, College of Physicians and
Surgeons of British Columbia

Cecilia Benoit, PhD

Fellow, Royal Society of Canada
Fellow, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
Scientist, Centre for Addictions Research of B.C.
Professor, Department of Sociology, University of
Victoria
4. 

11. 

19. 

Emilie Gladstone, MPH

Pharmaceutical Policy Researcher, Centre for
Health Services and Policy Research, Faculty of
Medicine, UBC

7

 20. 

Silvia Guillemi, MD

Assistant Director, J. Ruedy Immunodeficiency
Clinic (IDC), St Paul’s Hospital
Director of Clinical Education, B.C. Centre for
Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine,
UBC
21. 

David Hall, MD, CCFP

Medical Director for Primary Care, Vancouver
Coastal Health
Medical Lead, Regional HIV Program, Vancouver
Coastal Health
22. 

Scott Harrison, RN, BScN, MA, CCHNC

Director Urban Health & HIV/AIDS, Providence
Health Care
Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, UBC
23. 

Kanna Hayashi, PhD

Research Scientist, Urban Health Research
Initiative, B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
24. 

Lorne Hildebrand

33. 

Ronald Joe, MD

Associate Medical Director, Addiction Services,
Vancouver Coastal Health
27. 
28. 

29. 

30. 

P.R.W. Kendall, B.C. Provincial Health Officer
Thomas Kerr, PhD

34. 

35. 

Brandon Marshall, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology,
Brown University School of Public Health
36. 

Leslie McBain, Community Advocate

Moms United and Mandated to Saving the lives of
Drug Users (MumsDU)
37. 

Rita McCracken, MD, CCFP

Associate Head, Providence Health Care
Clinical Assistant Professor Faculty of Medicine,
UBC
38. 

Garth McIver, MD

Medical Consultant, B.C. Methadone Program
(CPSBC)
39. 

Mark McLean, MD, FRCPC

Addiction Medicine Physician, Providence Health
Care / Vancouver Coastal Health
40. 

Ailve McNestry, MB, CCFP, CCBOM
Deputy Registrar, Drug Programs
College of Physicians & Surgeons of B.C.

Director, Urban Health Research Initiative
B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Professor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC

41. 

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Providence Health Care
Vancouver Native Health Society Medical Clinic

42. 

M-J Milloy, PhD

Research Scientist, Urban Health Research
Initiative, B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC

Piotr Klakowicz, MD, MPH, CCFP

Erin Knight, MD, CFPC

Julio S.G. Montaner, OC, OBC, MD, DSc
(hon), FRCPC, FCCP, FACP, FRSC

Professor and Head, UBC–Division of AIDS
UBC and St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation Chair in
AIDS Research
Director, B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS,
St. Paul’s Hospital, Providence Health Care

Mel Krajden, MD, FRCPC

Medical Head, Hepatitis, B.C. Centre for Disease
Control
Acting Medical Director, Public Health Laboratory,
B.C. Centre for Disease Control

Julia MacIsaac, MD, MPH, FRCPC

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Providence Health Care
Alliance Clinic, Surrey, B.C.
LAIR Centre, Vancouver

Fellow, St. Paul’s Hospital Goldcorp Addiction
Medicine Fellowship
31. 

Leslie Lappalainen, MD, CCFP

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Providence Health Care
Clinical Instructor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC

Executive Director, EDGEWOOD
26. 

Andrea Krüsi, PhD

Research Scientist, Gender and Sexual Health
Initiative, B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

Ramm Hering, MSc, MD, CCFP, Dip PH
Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Pandora Clinic

25. 

32. 

43. 

Steve Morgan, PhD

Professor, School of Population and Public Health,
UBC

8

 44. 

Lisa Muhler, PhD in Addictions Counselling

54. 

Registered Psychologist
Clinical Director, Top of the World Ranch
Treatment Centre
45. 

Seonaid Nolan, MD, FRCPC, Dip ABAM

Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine
Physician, Providence Health Care
Research Scientist, Urban Health Research
Initiative, B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine,
UBC
46. 

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Providence Health Care
Vancouver Detox Physician, Vancouver Coastal
Health
55. 

56. 

Michael Norbury, MBChB, MSc, BSc (Hons),
CCFP
Daniel Paré, MD, CCFP

57. 

Gerrard Prigmore, MB, BCh, MRCGP,
DFSRH, CCFP, Dip ABAM

58. 

Nitasha Puri, MD, CCFP, Dip ABAM

59. 

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Vancouver Coastal Health / Portland Hotel Medical
Clinic / Fraser Health Authority
Clinical Instructor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
50. 

Dan Reist, MTh

Knowledge Exchange Assistant Director
Centre for Addictions Research of B.C., University
of Victoria
51. 

Lindsey Richardson, DPhil

Research Scientist, Urban Health Research
Initiative, B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, UBC
52. 

Launette Rieb, MSc, MD

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician
Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine,
UBC
53. 

Kimberly Rutherford, MD, MSc, CCFP

Medical Coordinator, Primary Outreach Services,
Vancouver Coastal Health
Medical Staff, St. Paul’s Hospital, Providence
Health Care
Clinical Instructor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC

Kate Shannon, MPH, PhD

Director, Gender and Sexual Health Initiative
B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Associate Professor of Medicine, Faculty of
Medicine, UBC
Associate Faculty, School of Population and Public
Health, UBC

David H. Smith, MD, Dip ABAM

Okanagan Psychiatric Services, Interior Health
Clinical Instructor, Faculty of Psychiatry, UBC

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician, Prince
George
49. 

Todd Sakakibara, MD, CCFP, FCFP, Dip
ABAM

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Vancouver Coastal Health
Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine,
UBC

Inner City Primary Care & Assertive Community
Treatment Team, Vancouver Coastal Health
Medical Coordinator, Downtown Community
Health Centre
Clinical Instructor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
48. 

Mark Sadler, MC

Addiction Counsellor
Executive Director, Top of the World Ranch
Treatment Centre

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Vancouver Coastal Health
47. 

Andrea Ryan, BSc, MD, CCFP

Marshall K. Smith

Director of Corporate Development and
Community Relations
Cedars at Cobble Hill Addiction Treatment Centre
60. 

Kate Smolina, PhD

Banting Postdoctoral Fellow. Centre for Health
Services and Policy Research
School of Population and Public Health, UBC
61. 

M. Eugenia Socías, MD

Researcher, B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/
AIDS
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine, UBC
62. 

Tim Stockwell, PhD

Director, Centre for Addictions Research of B.C.
Professor, Department of Psychology, University of
Victoria
63. 

Lorinda Strang

Executive Director, Orchard Recovery Center

9

 64. 

Christy Sutherland, MD, CCFP, Dip ABAM

Medical Director, Portland Hotel Society
Community Services Society
Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Providence Health Care
Clinical Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine,
UBC
65. 

David Tu, MD, CCFP

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Vancouver Native Health Society
Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine,
UBC
67. 

Devin Tucker, MD

Addiction and Family Medicine Physician,
Vancouver Coastal Health
68. 

Mark Tyndall, MD, ScD, FRCPC

Executive Medical Director, B.C. Centre for
Disease Control
Deputy Provincial Health Officer, Province of
British Columbia
Director, UBC–BCCDC Research Institute
Professor, School of Population and Public Health,
UBC

Karen Urbanoski, PhD

Canada Research Chair in Substance Use,
Addictions and Health Services
Scientist, Centre for Addictions Research of B.C.
Assistant Professor, University of Victoria
70. 

Sharon Vipler, MD

Family and Addiction Medicine Physician,
Providence Health Care

Lianping Ti, PhD

Researcher, B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/
AIDS
Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
66. 

69. 

71. 

Dan Werb, PhD

Director, International Centre for Science
in Drug Policy
72. 

Evan Wood, MD, PhD, ABIM, FRCPC

Professor of Medicine, Canada Research Chair in
Inner City Medicine, UBC
Medical Director, Community Addiction Services,
Vancouver Coastal Health / Providence Health Care
73. 

Steven Yau, MD, CCFP

Primary Care Physician, Downtown Community
Health Centre, Strathcona Mental Health Team and
Assertive Community Treatment Team, Vancouver
Coastal Health
Clinical Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine,
UBC
Medical Director, IMG Programming, Division of
Continuing Professional Development, Faculty of
Medicine, UBC

10

 Acknowledgments
We wish to acknowledge Pauline Voon (PhD candidate) for
research and writing assistance in preparing this document.
We also wish to thank James Nakagawa, Cheyenne Johnson,
Carmen Rock, Lianlian Ti, Elaine Fernandes, Diane Pépin,
Jehnifer Benoit, and Deborah Graham for their editorial and
administrative assistance.

11

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2. 

3. 
4. 
5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 
11. 

12. 

13. 
14. 

15. 

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