ArticleSubstance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy2026
The power of people who use drugs as mass media influencers in changing public opinion during the global overdose epidemic.
Article in Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThousands of people have lost their lives due to overdose-related fatalities linked to the potent synthetic opioid epidemic, as mortalities increase annually. British Columbia (B.C.) Canada has been an exception, where the population not only has more liberal views on illegal drugs, but overdose death numbers have reduced for the first time in recent months. The reduction of overdose deaths in BC and liberal views have taken place in conjunction with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users’ (VANDU) advocacy growth over the past two decades.
methodsThe Canadian Newsstream database, which contains news media coverage, was utilized to examine VANDU’s news coverage and impact in 2023. VANDU’s mass media impact is determined qualitatively. NVivo 14 facilitated coding 97 articles in 2023, out of 1,596 total news articles since 1997.
resultsAfter analyzing 97 articles from 42 blogs, 33 newspapers, 21 wire feeds, and one other source, five themes were identified. These themes included (1) policy engagement, (2) Government lobbying, (3) Advocacy, (4) Unsanctioned work, and (5) Demonstration.
conclusionWith the rise of pseudoscience and anti-harm reduction rhetoric across the globe, this research has shown that partnering and funding drug user advocacy groups is the most critical way to fight the overdose epidemic because the advocacy can change public opinion and therefore government policy that needlessly contributes to preventable deaths.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.