About Under The Influence: Substance Use & Society
Under The Influence explores how different drugs intersect with our society, culture, and everyday life. From alcohol and caffeine to video games and gambling, substances are everywhere—and chances are that you’re holding one right now.
Tag along with us as we unpack the evidence behind today’s biggest questions about substance use through conversations with researchers, policy experts, and people working on the front lines.
Publisher
University of Victoria: Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR)
5. Message on a Bottle: rethinking alcohol products
What happens when the price of alcohol increases? Can warning labels influence informed decision-making about drinking? And why do evidence-based alcohol policies often face resistance despite strong public health support?
Roughly 80% of Canadians consume alcohol, yet many remain unaware of its links to cancer and other health harms. In this episode, Dr. Adam Sherk discusses his research paper, The effect of alcohol minimum unit pricing and cancer warning labels on cancer incidence and mortality in Canada: an epidemiological modelling study (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(26)00006-X/fulltext), and explores the potential impact of two evidence-based policy strategies: minimum unit pricing and cancer warning labels.
Adam explains how pricing policies can reduce alcohol-related harms, what researchers have learned from warning label initiatives such as the Northern Territories Alcohol Labels Study, and why public awareness of alcohol's cancer risks remains surprisingly low. He also discusses the challenges of translating research into policy and the factors that shape public acceptance of alcohol regulations.
Tune in to learn more about Adam’s work and the policies of alcohol in Canada, all discussed in this episode. Let us know if you have any questions or thoughts by reaching out to us at mmahmoud@uvic.ca (mailto:mmahmoud@uvic.ca), or leave us a private message at our Instagram, @/undertheinfluence.cisur!
8 Jun 2026
4. All About Gambling: more than just luck?
What constitutes gambling? What is the criteria for a gambling addiction? What are the recent developments in the field?
In this episode of Under the Influence: Substance Use & Society, we talk about gambling and its forms, policies, and treatments in Canada. We're joined by Dr. Luke Clark, an expert in the field of gambling research, professor at UBC’s psychology department, and director of the Centre for Gambling Research in British Columbia. Listen on as we discuss different topics in relation to gambling, such as gambling addiction, risk factors, rise of online slot machines and sports-betting, and advertising.
Have questions or feedback? Reach out to us at cisur@uvic.ca, or leave a message on Instagram at @undertheinfluence.cisur (https://www.instagram.com/undertheinfluence.cisur/)
List of resources for this episode:
Research: A typical problem gambler affects six others (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14459795.2017.1331252)
Dr Luke Clark's Research: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=h6powlAAAAAJ&hl=en
Centre for Gambling Research at UBC: https://cgr.psych.ubc.ca/
19 May 2026
3. KnowAlcohol.ca: all about alcohol & the knowledge mobilization tool.
In this episode of Under the Influence: Substance Use & Society, we explore Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health, public awareness of alcohol-related risks, and how these conversations led to the launch of KnowAlcohol.ca (https://knowalcohol.ca?utm_source=chatgpt.com) in January 2025, a digital resource designed to help Canadians better understand the health impacts of alcohol.
Alcohol, a Group 1 carcinogen, is consumed by nearly 80% of people in Canada, yet many remain unaware of its connection to cancers such as breast and colon cancer. So, what happens when we try to address alcohol use at a population level through personalized risk communication and knowledge tools?
Join guests Andrea Cowan and Dr. Tim Naimi as they discuss alcohol normalization, public health messaging, and the research behind KnowAlcohol.ca, including how personalized information about health risks, costs, and consumption patterns can help Canadians make more informed decisions about drinking.
If you have any feedback or questions, please leave us a message at cisur@uvic.ca
14 Apr 2026
2. Naming a Crisis: the toxic drug crisis.
In this episode of “Under the Influence", we look back on 10 years since BC declared toxic drug deaths a public health emergency. Over 18,000 people have lost their lives since 2016. How do we honour our lost loved ones, and where do we go from here?
Host Amanda Farrell-Low speaks with Dr. Bernie Pauly, a scientist at CISUR and UVic nursing professor, who looks back at what happened when the declaration was made, and what we have seen since in terms of policy. She also speaks with Stephanie Harrington, who lost her brother to toxic drugs, and is coordinating a community art show to honour those who have died.
The Naming a Crisis community art show runs April 7-26 at the Victoria Arts Council pop-up gallery in the Bay Centre, 1150 Douglas Street, Victoria. You can find more info at https://namingacrisis.ca/april-exhibit/ (https://namingacrisis.ca/april-exhibit/)
If you have any feedback about this episode, please email us at cisur@uvic.ca (mailto:cisur@uvic.ca)
1 Apr 2026
1. Frog in a Pond: the landscape of substance use.
What do we really mean when we say “drug”? What is person-first language? How does policy influence our everyday choices, and what can we do about it?
Listen in on our debut episode of Under the Influence, where we’re joined by Dr. Tim Naimi and Amanda Farrell-Low to unpack terminology, substance use, language assumptions, and policies that shape our behaviors and thinking about substances.
We begin with introductions, then present a brief scope of work conducted by the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) that highlights how psychology, neuroscience, and public health intersect to help us understand the substance use landscape better.
If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to contact us at our email: cisur@uvic.ca
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