DTN Audio Podcast
09/29/26 Dual Disorders
On this edition of Century: Dual Disorders. Dual disorders refers to a person having both a mental health and a substance use disorder. People with dual disorders often face barriers to accessing appropriate, integrated care, while services may struggle to respond in a coordinated and effective manner. The European Union Drugs Agency recently held a webinar examining dual disorders, looking at responses in some EU nations. On today\'s show we hear a the presentation by one of the speakers on that webinar, Clara de Ruysscher, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher at Ghent University in Belgium. Plus, the Drug User Liberation Front operated a compassion club for people who use drugs in Vancouver, British Columbia. They started operating publicly in 2021. DULF was raided by Vancouver police in November 2023. Two of DULF\'s leaders, Eris Nyx and Jeremy Kalicum, were arrested. Eris and Jeremy were tried and convicted in November 2025. They challenged those convictions. Their appeal was heard by the BC Supreme Court in July of this year. On Tuesday September 29, the BC Supreme Court issued a decision: the criminal law used to convict Eris and Jeremy is unconstitutional. The Court ruled parts of Canada\'s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act unconstitutional, violating the Charter rights of Eris and Jeremy, and more broadly of people who use drugs. In her ruling, The Honourable Madam Justice Catherine Murray found that a non-medicalized safer supply program is urgently needed to save lives, and that the DULF Compassion Club reduced the harms associated with the toxic drug crisis and did not negatively impact the community or public safety.
