Substance Use, Pleasure, and Overdose Response

July 22nd, 2026

Speakers: Dr. Geoff Bardwell - Assistant Professor at University of Waterloo and Director of the Drug Hub; Jenny Kirby - Harm Reduction Worker; Lucas Tucker - Harm Reduction Outreach Lead.

Note: Unfortunately, the beginning of the webinar, which included Geoff's presentation, was not recorded. Please see the resources below and enjoy the discussion that followed the presentation.  

Additional resources: 

Bardwell, G. 2026. Rethinking the Drug Pleasure Versus Harm Binary via Chaosmos: On “Euphoria,” “Overdose,” and the Politics of Coming To. Contemporary Drug Problems. https://doi.org/10.1177/00914509261462540 

One pager related to the Bardwell paper above: The space between euphoria and overdose: Understanding opioid beyond the pleasure vs harm divide

Dertadian, GC and Yates, K. 2022. “Overdose has many faces”. The Politics of Care in Responding to Overdose at Sydney’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre. Contemporary Drug Problems. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00914509221134716 

Ali, F., Shaw, A., Bell-Scollan, E, et al. 2026. The role of oxygen in shelter-based overdose response: A qualitative needs assessment across shelter sites in Toronto, Canada. International Journal of Drug policy. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105418

Griffiths, S., Hayman, K., Atkinson, K., and Lawrence, G. 2023. Report: Comprehensive Overdose Response with Oxygen - Training for Shelter Providers in Toronto. Parkdale Queen West CHC

Naloxone. Health Canada. Page includes information about naloxone (what it is, how it works) and where to get it in each province and territory.