Articles

Telling our stories: heroin-assisted treatment and SNAP activism in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver

This article highlights the experiences of a peer-run group, SALOME/NAOMI Association of Patients (SNAP), that meets weekly in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SNAP is a unique ind...

Authors: Susan Boyd, Dave Murray and Donald MacPherson

Needle exchange programs for the prevention of hepatitis C virus infection in people who inject drugs: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Previous research on the effectiveness of needle exchange programs (NEP) in preventing hepatitis C virus (HCV) in people who inject drugs (PWID) has shown mixed findings. The purpose of this study was to use t...

Authors: Stephen M. Davis, Shay Daily, Alfgeir L. Kristjansson, George A. Kelley, Keith Zullig, Adam Baus, Danielle Davidov and Melanie Fisher

Mitigating the heroin crisis in Baltimore, MD, USA: a cost-benefit analysis of a hypothetical supervised injection facility

In Baltimore, MD, as in many cities throughout the USA, overdose rates are on the rise due to both the increase of prescription opioid abuse and that of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in the drug market....

Authors: Amos Irwin, Ehsan Jozaghi, Brian W. Weir, Sean T. Allen, Andrew Lindsay and Susan G. Sherman

The association between residential eviction and syringe sharing among a prospective cohort of street-involved youth

Syringe sharing is a high-risk practice associated with the transmission of infectious diseases, such as HIV and HCV. While youth who contend with housing instability are known to be more likely to engage in h...

Authors: Andreas Pilarinos, Mary Clare Kennedy, Ryan McNeil, Huiru Dong, Thomas Kerr and Kora DeBeck

Development and evaluation of a community-based buprenorphine treatment intervention

The majority of Americans with opioid use disorder remain out of treatment. Operating in 33 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico, harm reduction agencies, which provide sterile syringes and other health serv...

Authors: Aaron D. Fox, Nancy L. Sohler, Taeko Frost, Carolina Lopez and Chinazo O. Cunningham

Expanding conceptualizations of harm reduction: results from a qualitative community-based participatory research study with people who inject drugs

The perspectives of people who use drugs are critical in understanding why people choose to reduce harm in relation to drug use, what practices are considered or preferred in conceptualizations of harm reducti...

Authors: L. M. Boucher, Z. Marshall, A. Martin, K. Larose-Hébert, J. V. Flynn, C. Lalonde, D. Pineau, J. Bigelow, T. Rose, R. Chase, R. Boyd, M. Tyndall and C. Kendall

Education and equipment for people who smoke crack cocaine in Canada: progress and limits

People who smoke crack cocaine experience a wide variety of health-related issues. However, public health programming designed for this population is limited, particularly in comparison with programming for pe...

Authors: Carol Strike and Tara Marie Watson

A cohort study examining emergency department visits and hospital admissions among people who use drugs in Ottawa, Canada

The health of people who use drugs (PWUD) is characterized by multimorbidity and chronicity of health conditions, necessitating an understanding of their health care utilization. The objective of this study wa...

Authors: Claire E. Kendall, Lisa M. Boucher, Amy E. Mark, Alana Martin, Zack Marshall, Rob Boyd, Pam Oickle, Nicola Diliso, Dave Pineau, Brad Renaud, Tiffany Rose, Sean LeBlanc, Mark Tyndall, Olivia M. Lee and Ahmed M. Bayoumi

The North American opioid epidemic: current challenges and a call for treatment as prevention

There is a need for creative, public health-oriented solutions to the increasingly intractable problems associated with the North American opioid epidemic. This epidemic is a fundamentally continental problem,...

Authors: Devesh Vashishtha, Maria Luisa Mittal and Daniel Werb

A preliminary needs assessment of American Indians who inject drugs in northeastern Montana

Injection drug use has not been well documented in American Indians living in the USA. American Indian and Alaskan Natives (AI/ANs) show higher rates of substance use compared to the general population, and ha...

Authors: Mike Anastario, Kris FourStar, Adriann Ricker, Rebecca Dick, Monica C. Skewes and Elizabeth Rink

Gender difference in early initiation of methamphetamine use among current methamphetamine users in Muse, Northern Shan State, Myanmar

Globally, methamphetamine (MA) use is a significant public health concern due to unprecedented health effects of its use. However, gender similarities and differences in early age of MA initiation and its risk...

Authors: Yu Mon Saw, Thu Nandar Saw, Junko Yasuoka, Nyein Chan, Nang Pann Ei Kham, Wint Khine, Su Myat Cho and Masamine Jimba

Children’s attitudes towards Electronic Gambling Machines: an exploratory qualitative study of children who attend community clubs

This research sought to explore whether children’s visual and auditory exposure to Electronic Gambling Machines (EGMs) in community clubs contributed to shaping their attitudes towards these types of potential...

Authors: Amy Bestman, Samantha Thomas, Melanie Randle and Hannah Pitt

Monitoring quality and coverage of harm reduction services for people who use drugs: a consensus study

Despite advances in our knowledge of effective services for people who use drugs over the last decades globally, coverage remains poor in most countries, while quality is often unknown. This paper aims to disc...

Authors: Lucas Wiessing, Marica Ferri, Vendula Běláčková, Patrizia Carrieri, Samuel R. Friedman, Cinta Folch, Kate Dolan, Brian Galvin, Peter Vickerman, Jeffrey V. Lazarus, Viktor Mravčík, Mirjam Kretzschmar, Vana Sypsa, Ana Sarasa-Renedo, Anneli Uusküla, Dimitrios Paraskevis…

Erratum to: The impact of benzodiazepine use in patients enrolled in opioid agonist therapy in Northern and rural Ontario

Authors: Alexandra M. Franklyn, Joseph K. Eibl, Graham Gauthier, David Pellegrini, Nancy E. Lightfoot and David C. Marsh

The acceptability and feasibility of a brief psychosocial intervention to reduce blood-borne virus risk behaviours among people who inject drugs: a randomised control feasibility trial of a psychosocial intervention (the PROTECT study) versus treatment as usual

While opiate substitution therapy and injecting equipment provision (IEP) have reduced blood-borne viruses (BBV) among people who inject drugs (PWID), some PWID continue to share injecting equipment and acquir...

Authors: Gail Gilchrist, Davina Swan, April Shaw, Ada Keding, Sarah Towers, Noel Craine, Alison Munro, Elizabeth Hughes, Steve Parrott, John Strang, Avril Taylor and Judith Watson

Willingness to use a supervised injection facility among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically: a cross-sectional study

Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) are legally sanctioned environments for people to inject drugs under medical supervision. SIFs currently operate in ten countries, but to date, no SIF has been opened in ...

Authors: Benjamin A. Bouvier, Beth Elston, Scott E. Hadland, Traci C. Green and Brandon D. L. Marshall

Retrospective analysis of antiretroviral therapy uptake and retention of male clients receiving methadone maintenance therapy in two provinces in Vietnam: potential synergy of the two therapies

Vietnam has a concentrated HIV epidemic with injection drug use being the dominant mode of HIV transmission. Vietnam has rapidly expanded antiretroviral therapy (ART) and methadone maintenance therapy (MMT). T...

Authors: Linh Thi Thuy Pham, Akiko Kitamura, Hoa Mai Do, Kim Anh Lai, Nhan Tuan Le, Van Thi Thuy Nguyen and Masaya Kato

Factors that influence children’s gambling attitudes and consumption intentions: lessons for gambling harm prevention research, policies and advocacy strategies

Harmful gambling is a public health issue that affects not only adults but also children. With the development of a range of new gambling products, and the marketing for these products, children are potentiall...

Authors: Hannah Pitt, Samantha L. Thomas, Amy Bestman, Mike Daube and Jeffrey Derevensky

Coverage of harm reduction services and HIV infection: a multilevel analysis of five Chinese cities

Since 2003, a harm reduction program for injecting drug users has been rolled out countrywide in China. It entails services for condom promotion, a needle and syringe program (NSP), and methadone maintenance t...

Authors: Qing Wu, Carlijn Kamphuis, Lin Duo, Jiahong Luo, Ying Chen and Jan Hendrik Richardus

Assessing the experience of using synthetic cannabinoids by means of interpretative phenomenological analysis

New psychoactive substances (NPS) have been increasingly consumed by people who use drugs in recent years, which pose a new challenge for treatment services. One of the largest groups of NPS is synthetic canna...

Authors: Szilvia Kassai, Judit Nóra Pintér, József Rácz, Brigitta Böröndi, Tamás Tóth-Karikó, Kitti Kerekes and V. Anna Gyarmathy

Harm reduction through housing first: an assessment of the Emergency Warming Centre in Inuvik, Canada

This research examines the effectiveness of an Emergency Warming Centre (EWC) in Inuvik, Canada, at reducing rates of morbidity and mortality for homeless persons with concurrent disorders (mental health probl...

Authors: Michael G. Young and Kathleen Manion

The impact of benzodiazepine use in patients enrolled in opioid agonist therapy in Northern and rural Ontario

Benzodiazepine use is common among patients in opioid agonist therapy; this puts patients at an increased risk of overdose and death. In this study, we examine the impact of baseline and ongoing benzodiazepine...

Authors: Alexandra M. Franklyn, Joseph K. Eibl, Graham Gauthier, David Pellegrini, Nancy E. Lightfoot and David C. Marsh

The influence of marketing on the sports betting attitudes and consumption behaviours of young men: implications for harm reduction and prevention strategies

Gambling can cause significant health and social harms for individuals, their families, and communities. While many studies have explored the individual factors that may lead to and minimise harmful gambling, ...

Authors: Emily G. Deans, Samantha L. Thomas, Jeffrey Derevensky and Mike Daube

Irish general practitioner attitudes toward decriminalisation and medical use of cannabis: results from a national survey

Governmental debate in Ireland on the de facto decriminalisation of cannabis and legalisation for medical use is ongoing. A cannabis-based medicinal product (Sativex®) has recently been granted market authoris...

Authors: Des Crowley, Claire Collins, Ide Delargy, Eamon Laird and Marie Claire Van Hout

Perceptions of a drug prevention public service announcement campaign among street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada: a qualitative study

Due to the popularity of public service announcements (PSAs), as well as the broader health and social harms associated with illicit drug use, this study sought to investigate how drug prevention messages foun...

Authors: Lianlian Ti, Danya Fast, William Small and Thomas Kerr

The political and scientific challenges in evaluating compulsory drug treatment centers in Southeast Asia

In Vietnam, like many countries in Southeast Asia, the commonly used approach of center-based compulsory drug treatment (CCT) has been criticized on human rights ground. Meanwhile, community-based voluntary me...

Authors: Thu Vuong, Nhu Nguyen, Giang Le, Marian Shanahan, Robert Ali and Alison Ritter

Stigmatization among methadone maintenance treatment patients in mountainous areas in northern Vietnam

Stigma and discrimination may adversely affect the benefits of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for drug users, especially in disadvantaged settings. This study assessed stigma and discrimination against ...

Authors: Hung Van Nguyen, Huong Lan Thi Nguyen, Hue Thi Mai, Hai Quan Le, Bach Xuan Tran, Canh Dinh Hoang, Huong Thi Le, Cuong Tat Nguyen, Tho Dinh Tran, Carl A. Latkin and Thuc Minh Thi Vu

Results of a participatory needs assessment demonstrate an opportunity to involve people who use alcohol in drug user activism and harm reduction

Drug users’ organizations have made progress in recent years in advocating for the health and human rights of people who use illicit drugs but have historically not emphasized the needs of people who drink alc...

Authors: Alexis Crabtree, Nicole Latham, Lorna Bird and Jane Buxton

Drug use and health behaviour among German men who have sex with men: Results of a qualitative, multi-centre study

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a risk group for new HIV infections. Drug use among men who have sex with men is often accompanied by risky sexual behaviours. Local AIDS help centres and gay advice centres...

Authors: Daniel Deimel, Heino Stöver, Susann Hößelbarth, Anna Dichtl, Niels Graf and Viola Gebhardt

Retention in Georgia opioid substitution therapy program and associated factors

Substance abuse has been considered as a growing challenge in Georgia that is closely linked with human immune deficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C transmission due to unsafe injection and other uncontrolled...

Authors: Ekaterine Ruadze and Khatuna Todadze

Correlates of sex trading among male non-injecting drug users in Myanmar: a cross-sectional study

Sex trading is a recognized risk factor for human immune deficiency virus infection and other sexually transmitted infections among non-injecting drug users (NIDUs). However, very little research has addressed...

Authors: Yu Mon Saw, Thu Nandar Saw, Kyi Mar Wai, Krishna C. Poudel and Hla Hla Win

Development of a filter to prevent infections with spore-forming bacteria in injecting drug users

In heroin injectors, there have been a number of outbreaks caused by spore-forming bacteria, causing serious infections such as anthrax or botulism. These are, most likely, caused by injecting contaminated her...

Authors: Nour Alhusein, Jenny Scott, Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern and Albert Bolhuis

Elevated risk of incarceration among street-involved youth who initiate drug dealing

Street-involved youth are known to be an economically vulnerable population that commonly resorts to risky activities such as drug dealing to generate income. While incarceration is common among people who use...

Authors: Carly Hoy, Brittany Barker, Jackie Regan, Huiru Dong, Lindsey Richardson, Thomas Kerr and Kora DeBeck

An integrated approach to care attracts people living with HIV who use illicit drugs in an urban centre with a concentrated HIV epidemic

People living with HIV (PLHIV) who are also marginalized by social and structural inequities often face barriers to accessing and adhering to HIV treatment and care. The Dr. Peter Centre (DPC) is a non-profit ...

Authors: S. Fernando, R. McNeil, K. Closson, H. Samji, S. Kirkland, C. Strike, R. Baltzer Turje, W. Zhang, R. S. Hogg and S. Parashar

Medical cannabis use in Canada: vapourization and modes of delivery

The mode of medical cannabis delivery—whether cannabis is smoked, vapourized, or consumed orally—may have important implications for its therapeutic efficacy and health risks. However, there is very little evi...

Authors: Samantha Shiplo, Mark Asbridge, Scott T. Leatherdale and David Hammond

Mental health among clients of the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC)

The Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) is a supervised injecting facility (SIF) where people who inject drugs (PWID) can do so legally, under health professional supervision. The majority of c...

Authors: Mark Goodhew, Allison M. Salmon, Christina Marel, Katherine L. Mills and Marianne Jauncey

Overview of harm reduction in prisons in seven European countries

While the last decade has seen a growth of support for harm reduction around the world, the availability and accessibility of quality harm reduction services in prison settings is uneven and continues to be in...

Authors: Gen Sander, Alessio Scandurra, Anhelita Kamenska, Catherine MacNamara, Christina Kalpaki, Cristina Fernandez Bessa, Gemma Nicolás Laso, Grazia Parisi, Lorraine Varley, Marcin Wolny, Maria Moudatsou, Nuno Henrique Pontes, Patricia Mannix-McNamara, Sandro Libianchi and Tzanetos Antypas

A cross-sectional national survey assessing self-reported drug intake behavior, contact with the primary sector and drug treatment among service users of Danish drug consumption rooms

Drug consumption rooms (DCRs) have been implemented worldwide as a harm-reducing strategy. In 2012, Denmark passed legislation allowing establishment of DCRs. The aim of this study was to identify characterist...

Authors: Eva Charlotte Toth, Jette Tegner, Sigurd Lauridsen and Nanna Kappel

Meaningful engagement of people living with HIV who use drugs: methodology for the design of a Peer Research Associate (PRA) hiring model

Community-based HIV, harm reduction, and addiction research increasingly involve members of affected communities as Peer Research Associates (PRAs)—individuals with common experiences to the participant popula...

Authors: K. Closson, R. McNeil, P. McDougall, S. Fernando, A. B. Collins, R. Baltzer Turje, T. Howard and S. Parashar

A socio-structural approach to preventing injection drug use initiation: rationale for the PRIMER study

Injection drug use remains a primary driver of HIV and HCV-related harms globally. However, there is a gap in efforts to prevent individuals from transitioning into injecting. People who inject drugs (PWID) pl...

Authors: Daniel Werb, Richard Garfein, Thomas Kerr, Peter Davidson, Perrine Roux, Marie Jauffret-Roustide, Marc Auriacombe, Will Small and Steffanie A. Strathdee

Factors associated with knowledge of a Good Samaritan Law among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically

To date, no studies have examined the extent of knowledge and perceptions of Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs) among young adults who engage in non-medical prescription opioid (NMPO) use. We sought to determine aware...

Authors: Tristan I. Evans, Scott E. Hadland, Melissa A. Clark, Traci C. Green and Brandon D. L. Marshall

Effects of combination approach on harm reduction programs: the Taiwan experience

In 2003, a major epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus emerged among injection drug users in Taiwan. In response to the twin epidemics of HIV and intravenous drug addiction, the government implemented compr...

Authors: Ting Lin, Chang-Hsun Chen and Pesus Chou

Health professionals in Flanders perceive the potential health risks of vaping as lower than those of smoking but do not recommend using e-cigarettes to their smoking patients

Many misperceptions of both risks and opportunities of e-cigarettes (e-cigs) exist among the general population and among physicians, although e-cigs could be a valuable harm reduction tool for current smokers.

Authors: Dinska Van Gucht and Frank Baeyens

Factors associated with HIV testing among male injecting drug users: findings from a cross-sectional behavioural and biological survey in Manipur and Nagaland, India

Although targeted interventions in India require all high-risk groups, including injecting drug users (IDUs), to test for HIV every 6 months, testing uptake among IDUs remains far from universal. Our study estima...

Authors: Deepika Ganju, Sowmya Ramesh and Niranjan Saggurti

A qualitative study of how Danish drug consumption rooms influence health and well-being among people who use drugs

Drug use contributes to higher rates of morbidity and mortality among people who use drugs compared to the general population. In 2012, Danish politicians passed a law that allowed drug consumption rooms (DCRs...

Authors: Nanna Kappel, Eva Toth, Jette Tegner and Sigurd Lauridsen

Peer-engagement and its role in reducing the risky behavior among crack and methamphetamine smokers of the Downtown Eastside community of Vancouver, Canada

The role of peers (former or current drug users) in reducing risky behavior within methamphetamine and crack smokers has not been well described or researched. The current study not only explores the role of p...

Authors: Ehsan Jozaghi, Hugh Lampkin and Martin A. Andresen

Beyond equipment distribution in Needle and Syringe Programmes: an exploratory analysis of blood-borne virus risk and other measures of client need

Despite high levels of equipment distribution through Needle and Syringe Programmes (NSPs) in Australia, the levels of reuse of equipment among people who inject drugs remain concerning. This paper used an exp...

Authors: Carla Treloar, Limin Mao and Hannah Wilson

Qualitative assessment of take-home naloxone program participant and law enforcement interactions in British Columbia

The British Columbia take-home naloxone (BCTHN) program has been in operation since 2012 and has resulted in the successful reversal of over 581 opioid overdoses. The study aims to explore BCTHN program partic...

Authors: Andrew Deonarine, Ashraf Amlani, Graham Ambrose and Jane A. Buxton

Finding safety: a pilot study of managed alcohol program participants’ perceptions of housing and quality of life

There is a higher prevalence of alcohol use and severe alcohol dependence among homeless populations. The combination of alcohol use and lack of housing contributes to increased vulnerability to the harms of s...

Authors: Bernadette (Bernie) Pauly, Erin Gray, Kathleen Perkin, Clifton Chow, Kate Vallance, Bonnie Krysowaty and Timothy Stockwell

Do managed alcohol programs change patterns of alcohol consumption and reduce related harm? A pilot study

Managed alcohol programs (MAPs) are a harm reduction strategy for people with severe alcohol dependence and unstable housing. MAPs provide controlled access to alcohol usually alongside accommodation, meals, a...

Authors: Kate Vallance, Tim Stockwell, Bernie Pauly, Clifton Chow, Erin Gray, Bonnie Krysowaty, Kathleen Perkin and Jinhui Zhao