Unpacking the Effects of Decriminalization: Understanding Drug Use Experiences and Risks among Individuals Who Use Drugs in British Columbia.

IF 4 2区 社会学 Q1 SUBSTANCE ABUSE Harm Reduction Journal Pub Date : 2024-10-24 DOI:10.1186/s12954-024-01108-5
Farihah Ali, Cayley Russell, Margret Lo, Matthew Bonn, Geoff Bardwell, Jade Boyd, Elaine Hyshka, Jürgen Rehm
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Abstract

Objectives: On January 31, 2023, a three-year exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act was granted to the Canadian province British Columbia (BC), allowing the cumulative possession of 2.5 g of specific unregulated drugs amongst adults. The goals of the policy are to reduce health, social, and economic harms associated with criminalization, stigma, drug overdose deaths, as well as drug seizures, arrests, and associated enforcement and court costs. As the inaugural year has passed, we aimed to assess people who use drugs' awareness and knowledge of the, as well as the policy's impact on their drug use patterns and overdose risk.

Methods: We conducted 100 telephone-based semi-structured interviews with people who use drugs from across BC, exploring changes in drug use experiences and perceived overdose risk since the implementation of the policy. Participants also completed an interviewer-administered survey assessing socio-demographics and substance use patterns. We utilized a qualitative content analysis approach to analyze the interview data.

Results: Our findings indicate a general awareness of the policy among participants, although some policy details were often misunderstood, and participants expressed the need for more widespread dissemination of policy information. While the majority of participants reported that their drug use patterns remained unchanged after decriminalization, some made subtle adjustments, such as carrying under the 2.5 g threshold to minimize the risk of criminalization. Participants highlighted several policy benefits and concerns, including its potential to reduce criminalization and stigmatization, but also increase public drug consumption. Participants offered suggestions for policy improvement.

Conclusion: These findings underscore the need for ongoing monitoring of the impacts of decriminalization regarding its potential impact on people who use drugs' drug use patterns and related risks. Reevaluation of the possession threshold and efforts to enhance education and awareness about the policy could help achieve the policy's goals.

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解读非刑罪化的影响:了解不列颠哥伦比亚省吸毒者的吸毒经历和风险》(Understanding Drug Use Experiences and Risks among Individuals Who Use Drugs in British Columbia)。
目标:2023 年 1 月 31 日,加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省(BC 省)获得了为期三年的《受管制药品和物质法》豁免,允许成年人累计持有 2.5 克特定的非管制药品。该政策的目标是减少与刑事定罪、污名化、吸毒过量死亡以及毒品收缴、逮捕和相关执法及法庭费用有关的健康、社会和经济危害。随着该政策实施一年的过去,我们旨在评估吸毒者对该政策的认识和了解,以及该政策对其吸毒模式和用药过量风险的影响:我们对不列颠哥伦比亚省各地的吸毒者进行了 100 次半结构式电话访谈,探讨了自该政策实施以来,吸毒者在吸毒经历和认知用药过量风险方面的变化。参与者还完成了一项由访谈者主持的调查,对社会人口统计学和药物使用模式进行了评估。我们采用了定性内容分析方法来分析访谈数据:结果:我们的调查结果表明,参与者普遍了解该政策,但一些政策细节经常被误解,参与者表示需要更广泛地传播政策信息。虽然大多数参与者表示,在非刑罪化之后,他们的毒品使用模式保持不变,但也有一些人做出了微妙的调整,例如在 2.5 克阈值以下携带毒品,以尽量减少被定罪的风险。与会者强调了政策的若干益处和关切,包括其减少刑事定罪和污名化的潜力,但也增加了公众的毒品消费。与会者提出了改进政策的建议:这些调查结果表明,有必要持续监测非刑罪化对吸毒者吸毒模式和相关风险的潜在影响。重新评估持有毒品的门槛并努力加强教育和提高对政策的认识,有助于实现政策目标。
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来源期刊
Harm Reduction Journal
Harm Reduction Journal Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
CiteScore
5.90
自引率
9.10%
发文量
126
审稿时长
26 weeks
期刊介绍: Harm Reduction Journal is an Open Access, peer-reviewed, online journal whose focus is on the prevalent patterns of psychoactive drug use, the public policies meant to control them, and the search for effective methods of reducing the adverse medical, public health, and social consequences associated with both drugs and drug policies. We define "harm reduction" as "policies and programs which aim to reduce the health, social, and economic costs of legal and illegal psychoactive drug use without necessarily reducing drug consumption". We are especially interested in studies of the evolving patterns of drug use around the world, their implications for the spread of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne pathogens.
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