Articles

Retention and outcomes for clients attending a methadone clinic in a resource-constrained setting: a mixed methods prospective cohort study in Imphal, Northeast India

Opioid substitution therapy (OST) with buprenorphine has been widely available in India since 2007, but the introduction of methadone occurred much later in 2012, and availability remains limited. Illicit inje...

Authors: Michelle Kermode, Robedi Sharma Choudhurimayum, Lenin Singh Rajkumar, Tilahun Haregu and Greg Armstrong

Methamphetamine use and HIV risk behavior among men who inject drugs: causal inference using coarsened exact matching

Understanding the association between methamphetamine (MA) use and HIV risk behavior among people who inject drugs (PWID) will assist policy-makers and program managers to sharpen the focus of HIV prevention i...

Authors: Mehdi Noroozi, Peter Higgs, Alireza Noroozi, Bahram Armoon, Bentolhoda Mousavi, Rosa Alikhani, Mohammad Rafi Bazrafshan, Ali Nazeri Astaneh, Azadeh Bayani and Ladan Fattah Moghaddam

Perception of the relative harm of electronic cigarettes compared to cigarettes amongst US adults from 2013 to 2016: analysis of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study data

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been characterised as significantly less harmful than cigarettes by many health agencies and regulators globally. In this study, we examined to what extent perceived r...

Authors: Layla Malt, Thomas Verron, Xavier Cahours, Mengran Guo, Sarah Weaver, Tanvir Walele and Grant O’Connell

A qualitative study of perceived barriers to hepatitis C care among people who did not attend appointments in the non-urban US South

Most people diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have not linked to care, despite the availability of safe and effective treatment. We aimed to understand why people diagnosed with HCV have not pursued care ...

Authors: Jacqueline E. Sherbuk, Alexa Tabackman, Kathleen A. McManus, Terry Kemp Knick, Julie Schexnayder, Tabor E. Flickinger and Rebecca Dillingham

Identification of factors influencing tampering of codeine-containing medicines in England: a qualitative study

Tampering of psychoactive medicines presents challenges to regulation and public health. However, little is currently known about what influences the decisions to treat codeine-containing medicines (CCM) with ...

Authors: Andreas Kimergård, Stephen Parkin, Stacey Jennings, Eileen Brobbin and Paolo Deluca

Snus cessation patterns - a long-term follow-up of snus users in Sweden

Several studies have investigated the role of snus as an aid to become smoke-free, but few have focused on who use snus, how they perceive snus use, why and how they quit, and their perception of being non-snu...

Authors: Tove Sohlberg and Peter Wennberg

Population estimation and harm reduction among people who inject drugs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Injecting drug use is known to contribute significantly to the spread of the HIV epidemic in many parts of the developing world. Due to the hidden nature and stigma of the problem, it is difficult to study usi...

Authors: Negussie Deyessa, Bekele Senbete, Aman Abdo and Bernard M. Mundia

Harm reduction in an emergency response to homelessness during South Africa’s COVID-19 lockdown

Caledonian Stadium, the main mass temporary shelter for homeless people in the City of Tshwane, was created as a local response to the imperatives of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) National State of ...

Authors: Tessa S. Marcus, Jan Heese, Andrew Scheibe, Shaun Shelly, Sasha X. Lalla and Jannie F. Hugo

HaRePo (harm reduction by post): an innovative and effective harm reduction programme for people who use drugs using email, telephone, and post service

Despite multiple harm reduction (HR) programmes worldwide, there are still an important number of people who use drugs (PWUD) who do not access those services. Their difficulties to obtain HR tools are due to ...

Authors: Magally Torres-Leguizamon, Emmanuel G. Reynaud, Thomas Néfau and Catherine Duplessy

Training to reduce emergency responders’ perceived overdose risk from contact with fentanyl: early evidence of success

Authors: Rachel P. Winograd, Sarah Phillips, Claire A. Wood, Lauren Green, Brandon Costerison, Jeremiah Goulka and Leo Beletsky

Social network support and harm reduction activities in a peer researcher-led pilot study, British Columbia, Canada

People who smoke drugs (PWSD) are at high risk of both infectious disease and overdose. Harm reduction activities organized by their peers in the community can reduce risk by providing education, safer smoking...

Authors: Sulaf Elkhalifa, Ehsan Jozaghi, Samona Marsh, Erica Thomson, Delilah Gregg, Jane Buxton and Ann Jolly

A simple risk-based strategy for hepatitis C virus screening among incarcerated people in a low- to middle-income setting

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is among the highest priority diseases in custodial settings; however, the diagnosis remains suboptimal among people in custody. This study aimed to validate a short survey for identify...

Authors: Sanam Hariri, Maryam Sharafkhah, Maryam Alavi, Gholamreza Roshandel, Abdolreza Fazel, Taghi Amiriani, Nazgol Motamed-Gorji, Abolfazl Bazazan, Shahin Merat, Hossein Poustchi and Reza Malekzadeh

Migration experiences, life conditions, and drug use practices of Russian-speaking drug users who live in Paris: a mixed-method analysis from the ANRS-Coquelicot study

After the collapse of the Soviet Union at the beginning of the 1990s, people who inject drugs spiked in Eastern Europe. Facing local repression and an array of factors encouraging emigration, some users have m...

Authors: Yaël Tibi-Lévy, Daria Serebryakova and Marie Jauffret-Roustide

Cannabis health knowledge and risk perceptions among Canadian youth and young adults

Although recreational cannabis is now legal in Canada, little empirical evidence exists regarding young Canadians’ cannabis literacy, cannabis-related risk perceptions, and risk of different forms of cannabis ...

Authors: Cesar Leos-Toro, Geoffrey T. Fong, Samantha B. Meyer and David Hammond

“They look at us like junkies”: influences of drug use stigma on the healthcare engagement of people who inject drugs in New York City

People who inject drugs (PWID) are a medically and socially vulnerable population with a high incidence of overdose, mental illness, and infections like HIV and hepatitis C. Existing literature describes socia...

Authors: Brandon Muncan, Suzan M. Walters, Jerel Ezell and Danielle C. Ompad

Awareness of users and motivational factors for using new psychoactive substances in Belgium

Few data on motivations for using new psychoactive substances (NPS) are available. However, the cost, the legal status, and their accessibility through channels like internet contributed to the popularity of N...

Authors: Sarah Simonis, Michaël Canfyn, Anton Van Dijck, Tina Van Havere, Eric Deconinck, Peter Blanckaert and Lies Gremeaux

A cohort study evaluating the association between concurrent mental disorders, mortality, morbidity, and continuous treatment retention for patients in opioid agonist treatment (OAT) across Ontario, Canada, using administrative health data

Due to the high prevalence of mental disorders among people with opioid use disorder, the objective of this study was to determine the association between concurrent mental disorders, mortality, morbidity, and...

Authors: Kristen A. Morin, Joseph K. Eibl, Graham Gauthier, Brian Rush, Christopher Mushquash, Nancy E. Lightfoot and David C. Marsh

Opioid agonist therapy uptake among people who inject drugs: the findings of two consecutive bio-behavioral surveillance surveys in Iran

Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) uptake has been associated with multiple positive health outcomes among people who inject drugs (PWID). This study evaluated the pattern of OAT uptake among PWID in two consecutive...

Authors: Mehran Nakhaeizadeh, Zahra Abdolahinia, Hamid Sharifi, Ali Mirzazadeh, Ali Akbar Haghdoost, Mostafa Shokoohi, Stefan Baral, Mohammad Karamouzian and Armita Shahesmaeili

A national model of remote care for assessing and providing opioid agonist treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: a report

Health services globally are struggling to manage the impact of COVID-19. The existing global disease burden related to opioid use is significant. Particularly challenging groups include older drug users who a...

Authors: Des Crowley and Ide Delargy

Reducing harm through the development of good preparation practices for the injection of slow release morphine sulphate capsules

It is not always easy to advise people who inject drugs (PWID) on how to prepare their drugs in a way that is associated with reduced harm. This is particularly true for pharmaceutical drugs that are not meant...

Authors: Lenneke Keijzer

Providing reproductive health services for women who inject drugs: a pilot program

Needle syringe programs (NSPs), a proven harm reduction strategy for people who inject drugs, frequently offer limited healthcare services for their clients. Women who inject drugs face multiple barriers to ac...

Authors: Lauren Owens, Kelly Gilmore, Mishka Terplan, Sarah Prager and Elizabeth Micks

Smokers who have not tried alternative nicotine products: a 2019 survey of adults in Great Britain

Switching from smoking to using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or heated tobacco products can reduce tobacco-related health risks. However, not all smokers in Great Br...

Authors: Erikas Simonavicius, Ann McNeill, Hazel Cheeseman, Deborah Arnott and Leonie S. Brose

The impact of cigarette and e-cigarette use history on transition patterns: a longitudinal analysis of the population assessment of tobacco and health (PATH) study, 2013–2015

Population models have been developed to evaluate the impact of new tobacco products on the overall population. Reliable input parameters such as longitudinal tobacco use transitions are needed to quantify the...

Authors: Lai Wei, Raheema S. Muhammad-Kah, Thaddaeus Hannel, Yezdi B. Pithawalla, Maria Gogova, Simeon Chow and Ryan A. Black

Correction to: When is an abscess more than an abscess? Syringe services programs and the harm reduction safety-net: a case report

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Marcus Castillo, Margaret E. C. Ginoza, Tyler S. Bartholomew, David W. Forrest, Costaki Greven, David P. Serota and Hansel E. Tookes

Structural vulnerabilities and HIV risk among sexual minority female sex workers (SM-FSW) by identity and behavior in Baltimore, MD

Research suggests sexual minority female sex workers (SM-FSW) face elevated structural vulnerability and HIV risk compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Structural vulnerabilities reflect societal level ...

Authors: Jennifer L. Glick, Sahnah Lim, S. Wilson Beckham, Catherine Tomko, Ju Nyeong Park and Susan G. Sherman

A focused netnographic study exploring experiences associated with counterfeit and contaminated anabolic-androgenic steroids

A primary consequence of illicit drug markets and the absence of regulation is the variable quality or purity of the final product. Analysis of anabolic-androgenic steroid seizures shows that these products ca...

Authors: Evelyn Frude, Fiona H. McKay and Matthew Dunn

Perceived risks and amelioration of harm in research using mobile technology to support antiretroviral therapy adherence in the context of methamphetamine use: a focus group study among minorities living with HIV

Methamphetamine use poses a barrier to antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Black and Hispanic men who have sex with men living with HIV (PLWH) shoulder much of the health burden resulting from the methamph...

Authors: Elizabeth C. Pasipanodya, Maulika Kohli, Celia B. Fisher, David J. Moore and Brenda Curtis

Baseline prevalence and correlates of HIV and HCV infection among people who inject drugs accessing a syringe services program; Miami, FL

Blood-borne viral infections, such as HIV and hepatitis C (HCV), are common infections among people who inject drugs (PWID). This study aims to determine the prevalence of HIV and HCV infection among PWID acce...

Authors: Tyler S. Bartholomew, Jason Onugha, Corinne Bullock, Carolina Scaramutti, Hardik Patel, David W. Forrest, Daniel J. Feaster and Hansel E. Tookes

Motivations, facilitators and barriers to accessing hepatitis C treatment among people who inject drugs in two South African cities

Treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) among people who inject drugs (PWID) is a critical component of efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis. A recent study found high HCV prevalence among PWID in two cities, Pretoria ...

Authors: Anna Versfeld, Angela McBride, Andrew Scheibe and C. Wendy Spearman

Correction to: Navigating environmental constraints to injection preparation: the use of saliva and other alternatives to sterile water among unstably housed PWID in London

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Magdalena Harris, Jenny Scott, Vivian Hope, Talen Wright, Catherine McGowan and Daniel Ciccarone

Medical cannabis use in the Australian community following introduction of legal access: the 2018–2019 Online Cross-Sectional Cannabis as Medicine Survey (CAMS-18)

In 2016, the Australian federal government passed legislation enabling a range of cannabis-based products to be prescribed to patients by registered healthcare professionals. An online survey conducted immedia...

Authors: Nicholas Lintzeris, Llewellyn Mills, Anastasia Suraev, Maria Bravo, Thomas Arkell, Jonathon C. Arnold, Melissa J. Benson and Iain S. McGregor

Health warning labels describing snus as less harmful than smoking: effects on perceptions of risk

Using snus (Swedish moist snuff) is less harmful than smoking, but health warning labels (HWLs) on snus products do not reflect this relation. There are few studies on the effects of comparative risk informati...

Authors: Connie Villemo Nilsen, Torleif Halkjelsvik and Frode Svartdal

Risk factors of infective endocarditis in persons who inject drugs

The rising incidence of infective endocarditis (IE) among people who inject drugs (PWID) has been a major concern across North America. The coincident rise in IE and change of drug preference to hydromorphone ...

Authors: Meera Shah, Ryan Wong, Laura Ball, Klajdi Puka, Charlie Tan, Esfandiar Shojaei, Sharon Koivu and Michael Silverman

When is an abscess more than an abscess? Syringe services programs and the harm reduction safety-net: a case report

Syringe services programs (SSPs) are able to offer wrap-around services for people who inject drugs (PWID) and improve health outcomes.

Authors: Marcus Castillo, Margaret E. C. Ginoza, Tyler S. Bartholomew, David W. Forrest, Costaki Greven, David P. Serota and Hansel E. Tookes

Results from a 2018 cross-sectional survey in Tokyo, Osaka and Sendai to assess tobacco and nicotine product usage after the introduction of heated tobacco products (HTPs) in Japan

For novel tobacco products that potentially reduce the risk of tobacco harm, post-market surveillance is important to observe population usage and behaviours associated with everyday use. This pilot study was ...

Authors: Jason Adamson, Claudia Kanitscheider, Krishna Prasad, Oscar M. Camacho, Elisabeth Beyerlein, Yoga Keralapura Bhagavan, Christopher Proctor and James Murphy

Prisoners should not be left behind in HCV research and policies

With a worldwide prevalence of 15.4%, hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been estimated to be the most prevalent major infectious disease in prisons. The exceptionally high prevalence of HCV in prisons is attributabl...

Authors: Babak Moazen, Heino Stöver, Kate Dolan, Albrecht Jahn and Florian Neuhann

Barriers to and recommendations for take-home naloxone distribution: perspectives from opioid treatment programs in New Mexico

Naloxone is a safe and effective medication to help reverse opioid overdose. Providing take-home naloxone to patients in opioid treatment settings is a critical step to reducing opioid overdose deaths. In New ...

Authors: Julie G. Salvador, Andrew L. Sussman, Mikiko Y. Takeda, William G. Katzman, Monica Moya Balasch and Joanna G. Katzman

Hospital admissions among people who inject opioids following syringe services program implementation

Syringe services programs (SSPs) are an evidence-based harm reduction strategy that reduces dangerous sequelae of injection drug use among people who inject drugs (PWID) such as overdose. SSP services include ...

Authors: K. J. Bornstein, A. E. Coye, J. E. St. Onge, H. Li, A. Muller, T. S. Bartholomew and H. E. Tookes

What is needed for implementing drug checking services in the context of the overdose crisis? A qualitative study to explore perspectives of potential service users

The current illicit drug overdose crisis within North America and other countries requires expanded and new responses to address unpredictable and potentially lethal substances, including fentanyl analogues, i...

Authors: Bruce Wallace, Thea van Roode, Flora Pagan, Paige Phillips, Hailly Wagner, Shane Calder, Jarred Aasen, Bernie Pauly and Dennis Hore

Exploring the experience of inpatients with severe alcohol use disorder on a managed alcohol program (MAP) at St. Paul’s Hospital

Managed alcohol programs are a harm reduction approach for people with severe alcohol use disorder that provide alcohol in a structured setting. We examined the patient experience of receiving alcohol after th...

Authors: Beena P. Parappilly, Emma Garrod, Ryan Longoz, Eric Eligh, Holly van Heukelom, Christopher Kit Fairgrieve and Bernadette Pauly

Practices of care among people who buy, use, and sell drugs in community settings

Popular perception of people who sell drugs is negative, with drug selling framed as predatory and morally reprehensible. In contrast, people who use drugs (PWUD) often describe positive perceptions of the peo...

Authors: Gillian Kolla and Carol Strike

Challenges in maintaining treatment services for people who use drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic

The impact of COVID-19 across health services, including treatment services for people who use drugs, is emerging but likely to have a high impact. Treatment services for people who use drugs provide essential...

Authors: Adrian Dunlop, Buddhima Lokuge, Debbie Masters, Marcia Sequeira, Peter Saul, Grace Dunlop, John Ryan, Michelle Hall, Nadine Ezard, Paul Haber, Nicholas Lintzeris and Lisa Maher

High retention in an opioid agonist therapy project in Durban, South Africa: the role of best practice and social cohesion

Moral conservatism within government and communities has resulted in a reluctance to support the provision of opioid agonist therapy for people with opioid use disorders in South Africa. In April 2017, South A...

Authors: Monique Marks, Andrew Scheibe and Shaun Shelly

Navigating environmental constraints to injection preparation: the use of saliva and other alternatives to sterile water among unstably housed PWID in London

The United Kingdom is experiencing an increase in drug-related deaths and serious bacterial infections among its most vulnerable citizens. Cuts to essential services, coupled with a growing homeless population...

Authors: Magdalena Harris, Jenny Scott, Vivian Hope, Talen Wright, Catherine McGowan and Daniel Ciccarone

“Am I gonna get in trouble for acknowledging my will to be safe?”: Identifying the experiences of young sexual minority men and substance use in the context of an opioid overdose crisis

North America and other parts of the globe are in the midst of a public health emergency related to opioid overdoses and a highly contaminated illicit drug supply. Unfortunately, there is a substantial gap in ...

Authors: Trevor Goodyear, Caroline Mniszak, Emily Jenkins, Danya Fast and Rod Knight

Prescription opioid injection among young people who inject drugs in New York City: a mixed-methods description and associations with hepatitis C virus infection and overdose

Evidence is emerging that prescription opioid (PO) injection is associated with increased health risks. This mixed-methods study compares the mechanics of PO and heroin injection and examines the demographic a...

Authors: Pedro Mateu-Gelabert, Honoria Guarino, Jon E. Zibbell, Jennifer Teubl, Chunki Fong, Elizabeth Goodbody, Brian Edlin, Carli Salvati and Samuel R. Friedman

Patterns of tobacco and e-cigarette use status in India: a cross-sectional survey of 3000 vapers in eight Indian cities

Tobacco smoking is one of the biggest and avoidable public health threats in the world, especially in low- and middle-income countries. India represents a highly complex public health environment due to the la...

Authors: Rajeshwar Nath Sharan, Tongbram Malemnganbi Chanu, Tapan Kumar Chakrabarty and Konstantinos Farsalinos

Young people who inject drugs in Mozambique: should we emphasize them in the National Harm Reduction Plan?

Mozambique has one of the highest burdens of HIV globally, and people who inject drugs (PWID) have one of the highest HIV infection rates in Africa. After the implementation of the first Biological Behavioral ...

Authors: Cynthia Semá Baltazar, Makini Boothe and Timothy Kellogg

You just have to have other models, our DNA is different: the experiences of indigenous people who use illicit drugs and/or alcohol accessing substance use treatment

In Canada, and elsewhere, indigenous peoples who use illicit drugs and/or alcohol (IPWUID/A) commonly experience vulnerability and a disproportionate burden of harm related to substance use. In Vancouver, Cana...

Authors: Jennifer Lavalley, Shelda Kastor, Malcolm Tourangeau, Ashley Goodman and Thomas Kerr

Prevalence and risk factors associated with HIV-1 infection among people who inject drugs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: a sign of successful intervention?

Prevalence of HIV infection among people who inject drugs (PWID) has been reported to be higher than that of the general population. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HIV infection and asso...

Authors: Samuel Lazarus Likindikoki, Elia John Mmbaga, Germana Henry Leyna, Kåre Moen, Neema Makyao, Mucho Mizinduko, Alex Ishungisa Mwijage, Diana Faini, Melkizedeck Thomas Leshabari and Dan Wolf Meyrowitsch