The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on people who use substances in Canada. Service closures resulting from the pandemic led to a decrease in the quality and accessibility of essential harm reduction services such as needle exchange programs, supervised consumption services, and safer supply initiatives. As a result, many people who use substances reported changes in their substance use behaviours, such as reusing and sharing needles or using alone, which increase the likelihood of substance use-related harms. Additionally, some people who use substances avoided harm reduction services due to the fear of acquiring COVID-19. Other services such as addiction counselling and withdrawal management services also became more inaccessible during the pandemic, and waitlists to receive treatment became longer. While many services transitioned to virtual platforms, some people who use substances did not have the equipment or ability to utilize these services, and others felt uncomfortable with online platforms.
The pandemic also affected the supply of substances in several ways. The price of many substances increased drastically, and lockdown measures meant that some people who use substances were unable to contact their regular suppliers and were forced to find suppliers that they were unfamiliar with. Many people who use substances expressed discomfort with these changes, and often received substances that were fake or altered. Importantly, the COVID-19 pandemic co-occurred with an ongoing opioid crisis in Canada that has caused over 30,000 deaths since 2016.
For many people who use substances, the pandemic resulted in an increase in overall substance use or change in the pattern of their substance use. Identifying these changes is essential to understand the impact of COVID-19 on people who use substances. While existing research has highlighted several major impacts on people who use substances, research is lacking on how 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people who use substances specifically were impacted. This report describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on various facets of the lives of 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people who use substances in Canada.
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