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Table 1 Most recent characteristics of VIDUS/ACCESS/ARYS participants who reported at least daily use of drugs in the past 6 months in Vancouver, Canada, 2019–2021 (n = 995)

From: Police seizure of drugs without arrest among people who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada, before provincial ‘decriminalization’ of simple possession: a cohort study

Characteristic

Total

n (%)

995 (100%)

Reporting police seizure of drugs without arresta during the study period

P-value

Yes

n (%)

63 (6.3%)

No

n (%)

932 (93.7%)

Cohort designation

 VIDUS

437 (43.9%)

35 (55.6%)

402 (43.1%)

0.105

 ACCESS

271 (27.2%)

11 (17.5%)

260 (27.9%)

 

 ARYS

287 (28.8%)

17 (27.0%)

270 (29.0%)

 

Calendar year of interview

 2021

522 (52.5%)

23 (36.5%)

499 (53.5%)

0.009

 2019–2020

473 (47.5%)

40 (63.5%)

433 (46.5%)

 

Age (median, 1st, and 3rd quartiles)

41 (31–54)

36 (31–42)

42 (31–55)

0.001

Self-identified ethnicity/ancestry

 Indigenous

382 (38.9%)

17 (27.0%)

365 (39.8%)

0.051

 Person of colour

59 (6.0%)

7 (11.1%)

52 (5.7%)

 

 White

540 (55.1%)

39 (61.9%)

501 (54.6%)

 

Self-identified gendera

 Woman, transgender, other

407 (40.9%)

19 (30.2%)

388 (41.6%)

0.073

 Man

588 (59.1%)

44 (69.8%)

544 (58.4%)

 

≥ Daily unregulated opioids usea,b

580 (58.3%)

50 (79.4%)

530 (56.9%)

0.001

≥ Daily unregulated stimulants usea,c

543 (54.6%)

45 (71.4%)

498 (53.4%)

0.006

≥ Daily cannabis usea

360 (36.8%)

14 (23.0%)

346 (37.7%)

0.021

Opioid withdrawala

498 (50.3%)

45 (71.4%)

453 (48.8%)

0.001

Always/usually injected drugs in public placesa

90 (9.1%)

14 (22.6%)

76 (8.2%)

< 0.001

Non-fatal overdosea

189 (19.0%)

19 (30.2%)

170 (18.3%)

0.020

Administered naloxone to someonea

283 (29.5%)

32 (53.3%)

251 (27.9%)

< 0.001

Homelessa

219 (22.1%)

28 (45.2%)

191 (20.6%)

< 0.001

Sex worka

121 (12.3%)

11 (17.5%)

110 (11.9%)

0.197

Working in the unregulated drug marketa

268 (26.9%)

40 (63.5%)

228 (24.5%)

< 0.001

Street-based income generation (e.g. recycling and panhandling)a

265 (26.6%)

23 (36.5%)

242 (26.0%)

0.067

Incarcerationa

73 (7.4%)

24 (38.1%)

49 (5.3%)

< 0.001

Inability to access health and/or social servicesa

245 (24.8%)

24 (38.1%)

221 (23.9%)

0.012

  1. ACCESS: The AIDS Care Cohort to evaluate Exposure to Survival Services Study. ARYS: The At-Risk Youth Study. VIDUS: The Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study
  2. For the calculation of percentages, missing observations (max. 2.1% per variable) were excluded from the denominators
  3. P-values were derived from the Pearson’s Chi-squared test for all variables except for age, which used the Wilcoxon rank-sum test
  4. aRefers to behaviours and events in the 6 months prior to an interview
  5. bUnregulated opioids include heroin, fentanyl, down, speedball, or goofball
  6. cUnregulated stimulants include crystal methamphetamine, powder/crack cocaine, speedball, or goofball
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Harm Reduction Journal

ISSN: 1477-7517