Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco (75)

The Agony of Jimmy Quinlan
George Mihalka & George Williams 1978 27 min
This short documentary follows Jimmy Quinlan, one of the estimated 5000 men and women who lived in the streets and alleys of Montreal in the late 1970s. The film casts a harsh light on the realities of life on the street, as Jimmy battles his addictions; sobriety is a goal he's tried to achieve before and will probably have to try again. In and out of shelters, Jimmy's life is anything but stable, but his unique personality shines through in this affecting portrait.
Ashes of Doom
Grant Munro & Don Arioli 1970 1 min
This short film was produced for The Department of National Health and Welfare to warn against the dangers of cigarette smoking. Set against the backdrop of a typical '60s-era horror movie, a young woman is seen lighting up cigarette after cigarette. When a vampire appears at the stroke of midnight, she faints from sheer terror. But when the vampire closes in for the kill, he is hit with a nasty surprise...
Alanna
Julie Plourde 2009 25 min
Taken in by a loving family at the age of eight weeks, Alanna grew up in the majestic wilderness of the Yukon mountains. Because her mother drank heavily during pregnancy, Alanna’s development was seriously compromised. She has fetal alcohol syndrome. She will never be like other kids.

Tackling the subject with sensitivity, Julie Plourde’s documentary speaks to the heart. Alanna is a wake-up call about a tragedy that’s largely underestimated by the public but of growing concern to health professionals around the world. In French with English subtitles.
Alone in the Abyss
Claudie Ottawa 2009 5 min
Drugs. They sneak into your life, into your veins. You wake up and you're all alone in the depths. But the Earth keeps turning. Since 2004, the travelling studios of Wapikoni Mobile have enabled Quebec First Nations youth to express themselves through videos and music. This short film was made with the guidance of these travelling studios and is part of the 2008 selection.
Beyond Kicks
Gary Toole 1972 28 min
In the early 1970s, a group of young volunteers, the Free Youth Clinic of Winnipeg, operated a "crisis bus" to rescue young people experiencing bad drug trips, usually from LSD. This film documents the activities of the volunteers: responding to and treating emergencies, whatever the hour, and obtaining further medical aid for their patients, if required.
Bevel Up: Chapter 7 - Long Tran
Nettie Wild 2019 2 min
Street nurse Caroline Brunt and health care worker Tuan Luu meet a Vietnamese man who, like his father and grandfather, shoots heroin. Caroline teaches him how to inject safely—with the “bevel up.”

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Bevel Up: Chapter 3 - Linda
Nettie Wild 2019 1 min
Street Nurse Liz James tries to stop Linda, who’s high on drugs, from falling into traffic. Liz offers to help Linda get into an emergency shelter. Linda tells Liz to go away.

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Bevel Up: Chapter 5 - Street Youth
Nettie Wild 2019 5 min
Street nurse Elaine Jones hands out coloured condoms and encourages a young woman to get a pregnancy test. Elaine also meets a 16-year-old, new to the city and shooting heroin for the first time, and works to connect her with services.

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Bevel Up: Chapter 4 - Becky & Liz
Nettie Wild 2019 18 min
Street nurses Caroline Brunt and Sarah Levine find a homeless mother and daughter under a truck. Becky is seriously ill from an injection-related infection and is withdrawing from heroin. Her daughter, Liz, is pregnant and using “rock” cocaine. The nurses struggle to find them housing for the night as they negotiate with Becky to get health care and address her need for drugs.

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Bevel Up: Chapter 2 - Wheels & Barry
Nettie Wild 2019 6 min
“Wheels” drinks from his wheelchair in a park. Barry sells and injects drugs in the alleys. The outreach nurses establish relationships with both to encourage ongoing care.

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Bevel Up: Chapter 1 - Opening
Nettie Wild 2019 5 min
The nurses meet Becky, give her a mouth pieces for a crack pipe, and chat about her pregnant daughter, Liz. Later, they meet Tracey in a hotel and discuss her upcoming test results.

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Bevel Up: Chapter 6 - Lee
Nettie Wild 2019 3 min
Street nurses Caroline Brunt and Liz James inject Lee, a sex worker, with an antibiotic for syphilis. They also call Lee’s boyfriend and arrange to test him as well.

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Bevel Up - Drugs, Users and Outreach Nursing
Nettie Wild 2007 45 min
Bevel Up follows street nurses as they reach out to people working in the sex trade, and people who use drugs in the alleys and hotels of Vancouver’s inner city. Most importantly the nurses reflect on the attitudes they bring to their work—attitudes that can make or break their relationships with the people to whom they provide practical, non-judgemental health care on a daily basis.

The Bevel Up Educational Playlists offer viewers a dynamic way to learn through more than four hours of additional footage, interviews and a Teachers Guide. The interactive resource gives students and instructors in the healthcare field access to the experiences of practitioners who work with people who use drugs in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

For more information, images, and clips, click here.
Bevel Up: Chapter 8 - Conclusion
Nettie Wild 2019 2 min
Street nurses Caroline Brunt and Liz James visit a recovering Becky and then head home.

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Children of Alcohol
Gil Cardinal 1984 18 min
This short documentary focuses on the children of alcoholics. In the relaxed environment of a mountain campsite, a group of young people discuss their anger and frustration, and talk about their struggle to cope with the problems created by their parents' drinking. By sharing their experiences, they open a door for others like them. Aimed primarily at an audience of elementary school children and older, this film provides an excellent vehicle for generating discussion about alcohol abuse and the family.
The Circle
Mort Ransen 1967 57 min
Produced in 1967, this black and white film is an inmate's view of Daytop, a drug treatment centre on Staten Island, New York, where addicts learn to get along without drugs. Uncompromising, often brutal group therapy sessions are designed to shake loose the excuses a victim makes for himself. The people and situations shown are authentic; only one actor was employed. The results obtained at Daytop are regarded by some psychiatrists as a breakthrough.
Caninabis
Kaj Pindal 1979 9 min
Kaj Pindal's animated short from the late 1970s features a canine narcotics officer who burns out after sampling a little too much product. Driven by his love of cannabis, a street dog displays incredible promise for the drug squad when he chases down a local dealer. He makes headlines worldwide as he takes on smugglers and crime lords. But when his drug habit and his work inevitably collide, a clear message emerges: dogs and cannabis don't mix.
Crazywater

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Dennis Allen 2013 56 min
This feature-length documentary from Inuvialuit filmmaker Dennis Allen is an emotional and revealing exploration of addiction among Indigenous people in Canada.
After years of struggle and shame, 5 Indigenous Canadians bravely come forward with their stories of substance abuse, presenting the sensitive topic of alcoholism in an honest and forthright manner. Alex, Paula, Desirae, Stephen, and Dennis himself maintain a deep and devoted commitment to their traditional culture to achieve long-term sobriety. Through their voices, this insightful doc offers an inspirational beacon of hope for others.
Centre-Sud Chronicles

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Richard Suicide 2021 0 s
From his shabby apartment in Montreal’s Centre-Sud borough, a writer finds inspiration in observing his neighbour Piton, who navigates poverty with some incredible ingenuity. Through this wildly funny pseudo-scientific allegory, graphic novelist turned filmmaker Richard Suicide draws us into the surreal, chaotic world of his book Chroniques du Centre-Sud, delivering a powerful portrait of a neighbourhood in the midst of a full-blown transformation. Produced by the NFB, this film is part of the Comic Strip Chronicles collection.
Donna's Story
Doug Cuthand 2001 50 min
This intimate documentary paints a portrait of one Cree woman who left life on the streets to re-emerge as a powerful voice counseling Indigenous adults and youth about abuse and addiction. Raised in foster homes and caught up in drugs and prostitution by the age of 13, Donna Gamble shares her exhilarating and tumultuous journey and what motivated her to turn her life around. Together with her mother and daughters, Donna is working to shatter the cycle of addiction that has plagued their family for generations.
The Drag

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Carlos Marchiori 1965 8 min
This colourful short animation traces the insecure protagonist's path to tobacco addiction after he discovers, as a teengaer, that smoking can make him "cool". His addiction follows him well into adulthood, until the scare of lung cancer forces him to face his demons. This funny yet cautionary tale is told by the protagonist as he sits on a psychiatrist's couch, his recollections amusingly illustrated in colourful vignettes of his past. Both entertaining and visually rich, the film is a deterrent against smoking drawn in typical '60s modernist/pop-art style.
Dynamite
Kaj Pindal 1967 1 min
A clip to discourage smoking.
An Easy Pill to Swallow
Robert Lang 1978 29 min
This short documentary tackles the topic of tranquilizers, a family of pharmaceutical drugs Canadians are avid consumers of. In the form of an ongoing dialogue for and against these drugs, the film introduces us to doctors and patients who approach the prescription issue from different angles. Is there such a thing as an “easy pill”?
Eye Witness No. 74
Jack Long & William Davidson 1955 11 min
Scientists of the Sea: A look at marine scientists at work in Esquimalt, British Columbia. Alcoholism: A New Approach: This film looks at the rehabilitation of alcoholics at Toronto's Brookside Clinic, part of the program of research, education and treatment of Ontario's Alcoholism Research Foundation.
F.A.S.: When the Children Grow Up

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Sharon Bartlett & Maria LeRose 2002 40 min
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, she can do irreparable harm to her baby. This program explores the realities of living with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (F.A.S.) and partial F.A.S., called Fetal Alcohol Effects (F.A.E.), the leading causes of birth defects. The effects associated with F.A.S. continue even when children become adults.

This documentary tells the stories of three adults living with F.A.S., along with commentary from experts in the field.
A Fight for Breath: Emphysema
Joseph Licastro 1974 11 min
A film aimed at youngsters tempted by cigarettes but also for all those already addicted. Why a man suffering from emphysema has difficulty breathing is graphically illustrated. The entire respiratory system is shown in animated cross-sectional models, down to the smallest air cells, the alveoli. That is where the breakdown begins that eventually leads to impaired pulmonary function. This internal view of the damage done to the lungs is one that no viewer can ignore.
Funeral
Kaj Pindal 1966 20 s
A clip to discourage smoking.
Fringe Benefits
Kaj Pindal 1967 20 s
A clip to discourage smoking.
Happy Birthday
Lynn Smith 1974 1 min
In this short animation, a perceptive young boy attending his uncle's birthday party notices the unfortunate results of the man’s smoking habit. The film is part of an anti-smoking campaign produced by the NFB with the participation of Health and Welfare Canada.
Hofmann's Potion
Connie Littlefield 2002 56 min
This documentary offers a compassionate, open-minded look at LSD and how it fits into our world. Long before Timothy Leary urged a generation to "tune in, turn on and drop out," the drug was hailed as a way to treat forms of addiction and mental illness. At the same time, it was being touted as a powerful tool for mental exploration and self-understanding. Featuring interviews with LSD pioneers, beautiful music and stunning cinematography, this is much more than a simple chronicle of LSD's early days. It's an alternative way of looking at the drug... and our world.
In the Center Ring
Lynn Smith 1974 1 min
In this very short animation, it is the 2 children in the center ring who prove to be the most courageous circus performers of them all. The film is part of an anti-smoking campaign produced by the NFB with the participation of Health and Welfare Canada.
I, Barnabé

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Jean-François Lévesque 2020 15 min
I, Barnabé takes a luminous look at a desperate man’s existential crisis. During a night of stormy drunkenness, he receives a visit from a mysterious bird and is forced to reconsider his life.
Kamitshikaut
Shaushiss Fontaine 2009 4 min
Shaushiss Fontaine sings a joyful song about the devastating effects of drugs.

Since 2004, the travelling studios of Wapikoni Mobile have enabled Quebec First Nations youth to express themselves through videos and music. This short film was made with the guidance of these travelling studios and is part of the 2008 Selection - Wapikoni Mobile
Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy

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Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers 2021 2 h 4 min
Follow filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers as she creates an intimate portrait of her community and the impacts of the substance use and overdose epidemic. Witness the change brought by community members with substance-use disorder, first responders and medical professionals as they strive for harm reduction in the Kainai First Nation.
King Size
Kaj Pindal 1968 6 min
This short animation about the perils of tobacco smoking takes us to the kingdom of King Size, a land where "no smoking" is illegal. Here, intoxication dangers and health risks linked to cigarettes are blissfully ignored, and non-smokers are unwelcome. A humorous invitation for young people not to start smoking, or if they have, to relinquish the hazardous habit.
Mouseology
Bretislav Pojar 1994 8 min
Using the comic device of trained laboratory mice, this animated short examines the insidious nature of addiction to cigarette smoking, how it can begin in young people, and how difficult it is to quit.
Monkey on the Back

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Julian Biggs 1956 28 min
This documentary drama, based on the real-life experiences of a drug addict, not only portrays the terrible consequences of the misuse of narcotics but presents the general problem of addiction and, particularly, of the addict as an individual. Dick Smith lost everything valued most in life because of his craving for the narcotics which finally killed him. In relating the story of his attempts to break the habit, the film reveals the essential nature of addiction as both a social and a human problem.
No Quick Fix

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Andrée Cazabon 2000 51 min
A revealing portrait of two young addicts, their life on the street and their despairing parents who find themselves powerless to save their children from the habit that is consuming them. As filmmaker Andrée Cazabon follows Cathy and Laurent for many months, recording their desperate drug-fuelled existence, she remembers her own life on the street. "My parents and I relived that horror," she says of her creative journey. But it was for all parents that she made this film. Cathy's and Laurent's parents live in a permanent state of bewildered anxiety and guilt. How can they avoid being totally destroyed by grief? How do they manage to carry on with their lives, in spite of everything? And how do they deal with a system that views them with suspicion? By grimly showing two children in the grip of a brutal addiction, No Quick Fix hopes to alleviate and identify some of the enormous pain endured by parents coping with an addicted child. In French with English subtitles.
We Drink Too Much
Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski 2016 47 s
WE DRINK TOO MUCH. An unapologetic take on the vicious cycle of earning too little and consuming too much.
Nutrition
Bretislav Pojar , Don Arioli , … 1973 1 min
A one minute clip to encourage proper eating habits while 'kicking' the smoking habit.
Sober
Élise Simard 2017 33 s
SOBER IS HARDCORE. A rejection of romanticizing alcohol.
Purple Hat
Lynn Smith 1974 1 min
In this animated short, a young man continues to fabricate elaborate scenarios in order to let fate decide whether he should keep smoking.

This film is part of an anti-smoking campaign aimed at children, produced by the National Film Board of Canada, with the participation of Health and Welfare Canada.
Profile of a Problem Drinker
Stanley Jackson 1957 29 min
This short film is a telling portrait of the discourse about and treatment of alcohol addiction in the middle of the 20th century. In a fictional setting, the film examines the insecurities and inner motivations that cause the protagonist to lean on alcohol. His job and home life are threatened by his addiction, and the doctor to whom he finally turns explains the medical and other resources available to him.
Poundmaker's Lodge: A Healing Place
Alanis Obomsawin 1987 29 min
Just north of the City of Edmonton lies Poundmaker’s Lodge, an addiction and mental-health facility specializing in treatment for Indigenous people. Founded in 1973 and still operational today, the Lodge’s programs and services are Indigenous-run and based in culturally appropriate recovery and healing techniques. Framing the short documentary with the words of the great Plains Cree Chief Pîhtokahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker), Alanis Obomsawin presents a frank examination of the root causes of substance abuse in Indigenous communities and how the absence of love and support – exacerbated by the impacts of colonialism and racism – created a legacy of alcoholism for some individuals.
A Quiet Girl

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Adrian Wills 2023 1 h 26 min
In A Quiet Girl, adopted Montreal filmmaker Adrian Wills discovers, on camera and in real time, the startling truths of his complex beginnings in Newfoundland. Shocking details drive Wills to the core of his birth mother’s resilience, and ultimately his own. In this moving feature documentary that combines 16mm footage and contemporary images with deeply personal conversations, Wills’ voyage transforms from an urgent search for identity into a quest to give a quiet girl her voice.
Reflections on Practice: Therapeutic Communication
Nettie Wild 2007 1 min
Street nurse Caroline Brunt explains that listening is the first step in delivering effective health care to anyone who uses drugs.

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Reflections on Practice: Entrenchment
Nettie Wild 2007 1 min
Street nurse Elaine Jones reflects on the lure of the streets and why youth use drugs.

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Reflections on Practice: Relationship Building
Nettie Wild 2007 1 min
Street nurse Janine Stevenson talks about how to show respect and build trust on the street.

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Reflections on Practice: Insights
Nettie Wild 2007 3 min
Street nurse Caroline Brunt talks about seeing past the drugs and connecting with the person. Street nurse Janine Stevenson reflects on coming from a place of curiosity rather than judgment.

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Reflections on Practice: Ethics & Practice
Nettie Wild 2007 4 min
Street nurse Caroline Brunt and nursing-practice consultant Mary Adlersberg reflect on nursing practice when working with people who carry and use illicit drugs. Nursing ethicist Paddy Rodney talks about respect for autonomy and power dynamics in the health-care relationship.

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Reflections on Practice: From Novice to Expert
Nettie Wild 2007 5 min
Street nurses Caroline Brunt and Janine Stevenson, nursing ethicist Paddy Rodney, and nursing-practice consultant Mary Adlersberg talk about the importance of learning and legitimizing nursing harm-reduction practices.

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Reflections on Practice: Supervised Injection
Nettie Wild 2007 1 min
Nursing-practice consultant Mary Adlersberg and nursing ethicist Paddy Rodney reflect on how the nurse incorporates teaching and health promotion while supporting safe injection.

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Reflections on Practice: Harm Reduction
Nettie Wild 2007 3 min
Nurse Elaine Jones and ethicist Paddy Rodney talk about the ethical questions involved in showing youth how to safely inject.

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Reflections on Practice: Sex Work & Health
Nettie Wild 2007 3 min
Street nurse Liz James reminds us that sex workers who use drugs are “just people” with stories and experiences like everyone else. Liz explains that the key to creating a safe and open health-care relationship is to be compassionate while still asking frank and direct questions.

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Reflections on Practice: Access to Health Care
Nettie Wild 2007 1 min
Street nurse Caroline Brunt explores how detox or a supervised-injection site provide realistic first steps towards better health care.

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Reflections on Practice: People in Context
Nettie Wild 2007 1 min
Is the drug world scary? According to street nurse Caroline Brunt, understanding what drug(s) the person is using is important, but the ultimate goal is to connect, with the individuals using those drugs and providing the necessary health care that’s needed.

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The Sniffing Bear
Co Hoedeman 1992 7 min
This animated film uses the Arctic landscape and the traditional Inuit characters of the Bear, the Seal and the Owl to raise young people's awareness about the harmful effects of substance abuse. A polar bear experiences hallucinations after inhaling fumes from an abandoned gas can. A nearby owl and seal help to show the bear the error of his ways, thus preventing him from falling further into addiction. This film was an initiative of the Natives of the Institution La Macaza to warn children of the dangers of inhaling toxic chemicals.
Seguridad
Tamara Segura 2024 1 h 16 min
In Seguridad, Cuba’s “youngest soldier” uncovers a family secret that compels her to explore her father’s troubled past and its connection to the Cuban Revolution.
Soif
Michèle Cournoyer 2014 8 min
A woman plays out her existence on the screen of her life. Alcohol is the essence of her being. She imbibes her youth and becomes completely absorbed by the desire to satisfy her thirst. Moving from parties to binge drinking, pleasure to distress, joy to delirium, she lets herself be lulled by the undulating waves of bottles. She floats in the intoxicating liquid, sees her childhood re-emerge, and feels as if she is a tiny fish lost in an ocean of madness. Her craving for alcohol engenders a burning passion. Drinking becomes a fatal embrace... On the verge of drowning in the torrent of this insane obsession, will she find the strength to rise to the surface?

Soif is a tragedy in five acts centered on a woman who must confront the fate of her existence. Michèle Cournoyer (The Hat) has created another hard-hitting film. She broaches a sensitive topic in her inimitable style, using black ink on paper to render dazzling metamorphoses.
Turnaround: A Story of Recovery
Moira Simpson 1984 46 min
The women who seek help at Aurora House share a common illness: they are physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol, prescription drugs, street drugs, or a combination of these. This documentary focuses on the lives of five women at various stages of their rehabilitation. In the supportive and healing atmosphere of women helping other women, they are confronting the issues and feelings they had previously drunk or drugged out of consciousness. Turnaround is a film that will be of special interest to the families, friends and colleagues of people who suffer from addiction, as well as to professionals who are interested in exploring alternative methods of treatment.
The True Story of Linda M.
Norma Bailey 1995 1 h 6 min
In 1980, Linda M. was the subject of a film about prostitution directed by Norma Bailey (Nose and Tina). It's 16 years later, and Linda renews her relationship with the filmmaker, inviting her back into her life. Now in rehab, Linda introduces her family and various boyfriends in a funny, sometimes upsetting, but always riveting account of day-to-day life.
Topics: Sex Work & Drugs
Nettie Wild 2007 10 min
Four sex workers—Sherri, Tina, Dee and Mum—explain the relationship between sex and drugs, revealing how it affects their health and can threaten their lives.

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Topics: Hospitals & Acute Care
Nettie Wild 2007 9 min
Emergency room nurse Jane McColl and ward nurse Joanne Simpson talk about how drugs are perceived by people who use them as a solution. The nurses also address the importance of practicing harm-reduction philosophy and approaches when providing care and services within an institution.

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Topics: Mental Health & Drugs
Nettie Wild 2007 7 min
Mental-health counsellor Andrew Larcombe talks about the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder and using drugs to escape from difficult life circumstances. He also describes skills and strategies for developing therapeutic relationships and boundaries.

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Topics: Street Nurses For Change
Nettie Wild 2007 6 min
What happens when advocating for best health-care practices is politically inconvenient? Street nurse Liz James talks about her role in Canada’s first underground needle exchange, and street nurse Fiona Gold describes how she supported North America’s first supervised-injection site; both nurses took risks, fought for change, and saved lives.

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Tobacco's Last Stand

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Robin Benger 2004 44 min
In this feature documentary, we head to Norfolk County, Ontario, an unusual Canadian town where anti-smoking forces are the enemy in a community that proudly celebrates the annual tobacco leaf harvest and supports a feisty pro-tobacco mayor. Firmly in denial about the consequences of second-hand smoke, community leaders proclaim their right to freedom and economic success against the backdrop of a growing anti-smoking campaign and a heated city council debate on making the community smoke-free.
Through a Blue Lens
Veronica Alice Mannix 1999 52 min
This gripping documentary takes a powerful look at the lives of people with substance use disorder in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Filmmaker Veronica Alice Mannix follows Constable Al Arsenault and six other police officers on their daily beat, documenting their unique relationships with people who speak candidly about their painful past experiences, their drug addiction, and life on the street.
Topics: Pregnancy & Drugs
Nettie Wild 2007 7 min
Sarah Payne is the senior practice leader at the Fir Square Combined Care Unit with the BC Women’s Hospital. She describes an open-door harm-reduction philosophy where she and her colleagues advocate for providing support to keep mothers who use drugs and their babies together; she also discusses the effects of illicit drugs on babies.

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Topics: Drugs & the Brain
Nettie Wild 2007 15 min
Dr. Anthony Phillips, a UBC neuroscientist, uses animation to describe the effects of crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin on the brain.

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Topics: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Nettie Wild 2007 7 min
Pediatrician Christine Loock offers effective and non-judgemental communication strategies for nurses and healthcare providers who work with people affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

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Topics: Street Drugs 101
Nettie Wild 2007 34 min
Street nurse Fiona Gold and experts from the streets outline the effects and characteristics of common street drugs and how they are used.

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Topics: Sex, Drugs & Gender
Nettie Wild 2007 9 min
Street nurse Paul Harris (Gay Outreach) and Sean, a transgender person who uses drugs, both reflect on the role that drugs play in the LGBT community.

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Topics: Nurses Who Use Drugs
Nettie Wild 2007 4 min
Nursing-practice consultant Mary Adlersberg addresses addiction, intervention, and recovery within the nursing profession.

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Topics: Beyond the City
Nettie Wild 2007 10 min
Community health nurse Wendy Bradley (Yukon) and nurse educator Gayle Carriere (BC Interior Health Authority) describe drug use in rural areas and how they deal with the challenges of working in isolation and confronting stigma.

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Volcano
Kaj Pindal 1967 20 s
A clip to discourage smoking.

Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco (75)

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