Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Abstract: Background: The legislation on psychoactive substances has a role to play with regard to shaping social values and influencing the normalisation of drug use. In New Zealand from 2005 to 2008, benzylpiperazine-containing ‘legal’ party pills (BZP-party pills) were legally available for purchase, subject to controls around a minimum purchase age of 18 years, and prohibitions on free of charge distribution and advertising in certain media. This paper explores what their legal status communicated to young users.Methods: Interviews and group discussions with young people (n=58) who had used BZP-party pills in the preceding 6 months.Results: Data were collected between June and December 2006 via a series of interviews with individuals, ‘friendship’ pairs, and groups comprised of participants known to each other.
Filed in Evidence Base, Harm Reduction
|
Tagged good-quality, harm-reduction, legal-status, normalisation, parents, preceding, safety, shaping-social, substances, the-substances
|
Conclusion: These data provide a unique insight into the tension between positive and negative harm reduction messages relating to the legal nature of psychoactive drugs and as such begin to fill an information void in this area. The legal status of these ‘party pills’ conveys mixed messages to young people and whilst being seen as potentially safe and of good quality, this often leads to higher than ‘recommended’ doses being used.
Filed in BZP, Evidence Base, Harm Reduction
|
Tagged conveys-mixed, international, legal, legal-status, not-breaking, party-pills, positive-harm, such-begin, tension-between, unique-insight
|
Abstract: Background: This research examined the prevalence of drinking and cannabis use among adolescents in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands, countries with substantially different laws and policies relating to these substances.Methods: Laws regarding drinking and cannabis use were rated for each country. Substance use prevalence data among 10th graders from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Survey conducted in each country in 2005–2006 were examined.Results: Laws regarding alcohol and cannabis were found to be strictest in the United States, somewhat less strict in Canada, and least strict in the Netherlands. On most measures of drinking, rates were lower in the United States than in Canada or the Netherlands
Abstract: Since it began in the mid-1990s, the debate surrounding the normalisation of adolescent recreational drug use has attracted considerable attention and has tended to polarise opinion within the field.
Filed in Evidence Base
|
Tagged article, authors, come-together, debate, earlier, emphasis, normalisation, relevance, since-it-began, sociology, subject, the-mid-1990s, the-relevance, the-sociology
|
Abstract: Since it began in the mid-1990s, the debate surrounding the normalisation of adolescent recreational drug use has attracted considerable attention and has tended to polarise opinion within the field.
Filed in Evidence Base
|
Tagged article, authors, come-together, debate, earlier, emphasis, normalisation, relevance, since-it-began, sociology, subject, the-mid-1990s, the-relevance, the-sociology
|
Abstract: Background: There is great need to sustain harm reduction programmes for opiate-dependent persons, given variable retention of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) enrolees. Resource challenges may lead some health organizations to discontinue such programmes, though just as programmatic evaluation may determine efficacy and cost-effectiveness so to does it aid in examining impacts of programme dissolution.Methods: This retrospective evaluation investigated impacts of the dissolution of a ‘Minimal Services’ (MS) harm reduction programme for substance-abusing OAT clientele at an urban U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Centre
Filed in Evidence Base, Harm Reduction
|
Tagged challenges-may, dissolution, given-variable, harm-reduction, opioid-agonist, over-the-two, poor-treatment, results-suggest, retention-over, retrospective, such-programmes, the-dissolution, two-year-period
|
Conclusions: The majority of clients were chronic opiate users with high rates of risk behaviour. However, they did have recent contact with the drug treatment system. DCFs may be particularly important for opiate users after prison or treatment and/or for those with unstable accommodation.
Conclusions: The majority of clients were chronic opiate users with high rates of risk behaviour.
Filed in Evidence Base
|
Tagged after-prison, chronic-opiate, clients-were, drug, high-rates, international, opiate-users, particularly-important, policy, prison-or-treatment, the-drug
|
Abstract: Background: Fatal opioid overdose is a significant cause of mortality among injection drug users (IDUs).Methods: We evaluated an overdose prevention and response training programme for IDUs run by a community-based organisation in Los Angeles, CA.
Filed in Evidence Base
|
Tagged average-number, evaluation, from-baseline, injection-drug, latino-most, opioid-overdose, outcome, personal-drug, programmes-may, the-evaluation, the-follow-up, victim
|
Conclusion and Scientific Significance: Services tailored to methadone residents were accessed by this group. However, while 32% of all participants met diagnostic criteria for a current psychiatric disorder, only 22% received onsite psychiatric care, which questions whether integrated care is being provided adequately for participants with co-occurring disorders.