The International journal on drug policy
-
This paper explores elements of the relationships that develop between people who use illicit drugs and people who provide services to them. It focuses on expectations people who use drugs and service providers have of health and social care relationships for harm reduction, as well as facilitators and barriers to effective and ineffective interactions, and to what governments might better do to help strengthen interactions. Prior to Canada's inaugural national harm reduction conference, informal discussion groups were organized to source local views regarding policy reform for harm reduction. ⋯ The research described in this paper targeted those most directly involved in receiving, developing and delivering harm reduction programmes across a very diverse nation. It did so by including representatives of those most directly involved in utilizing and providing services within the research process itself. By incorporating a process that was community-based, user-driven, and which strived to be non-judgmental, the research was able to explore suggestions for improving health and social care relationships for harm reduction proffered by professionals actively providing services, as well as a variety of users, including some isolated or structurally excluded from service access by geography, illiteracy and/or street-involvement.
-
Medical cannabis is a contentious issue in the United States, with many fearing that introduction of state laws will increase use among the general population. The present study examined whether the introduction of such laws affects the level of cannabis use among arrestees and emergency department patients. Using the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring system, data from adult arrestees for the period 1995-2002 were examined in three cities in California (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose), one city in Colorado (Denver), and one city in Oregon (Portland). ⋯ Thus, consistent with other studies of the liberalization of cannabis laws, medical cannabis laws do not appear to increase use of the drug. One reason for this might be that relatively few individuals are registered medical cannabis patients or caregivers. In addition, use of the drug by those already sick might "de-glamorise" it and thereby do little to encourage use among others.