A Plea for Harm Reduction Policing Involving People Who Use Drugs

Document Type : Letter to Editor

Authors

1 The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada

2 The School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

3 Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Vancouver, BC, Canada

4 Sex Workers United Against Violence, Vancouver, BC, Canada

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Dear Editor,

Global cases of opioid-related fatalities have reached historic proportions.1 Some North American jurisdictions have seen overdose fatality cases that far outpace motor vehicle accidents.2,3... (Read more...)

References

  1. Ciccarone D. Fentanyl in the US heroin supply: A rapidly changing risk environment. Int J Drug Policy. 2017;46:107-111. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.06.010
  2. Jarrett MP. Congress, take an Ebola inspired approach to the opioid epidemic. The Hill. http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/339509-congress-take-an-ebola-inspired-approach-to-the-opioid-epidemic. Accessed December 20, 2017. Published 2017.
  3. Duggan K. Canada’s opioid crisis could kill more than 4,000 this year, say officials.  ipolitics. https://ipolitics.ca/2017/12/18/canadas-opioid-crisis-kill-4000-year-say-officials/. Accessed December 20, 2017. Published 2017.
  4. Somerville NJ, O'Donnell J, Gladden RM, et al. Characteristics of Fentanyl Overdose-Massachusetts, 2014-2016. MMWR. 2017;66(14):382-386.
  5. Klar SA, Brodkin E, Gibson E, et al. Furanyl-fentanyl overdose events caused by smoking contaminated crack cocaine—British Columbia, Canada, July 15–18, 2016. Health Promot Chron Dis Prev Can. 2016;36(9):200-201.
  6. McCall Jones C, Baldwin GT, Compton WM. Recent Increases in Cocaine-Related Overdose Deaths and the Role of Opioids. Am J Public Health. 2017;107(3):430-432. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303627
  7. Gilbert M, Dasgupta N. Silicon to syringe: Cryptomarkets and disruptive innovation in opioid supply chains. Int J Drug Policy. 2017;46:160-167.
  8. Lindsay B. New Vancouver supervised injection site hopes to combat 'year of loss'. CBC News. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/safe-injection-site-vancouver-opioid-crisis-1.4225053.  Accessed September 23, 2017. Published 2017.
  9. News 1130. Surrey consumption site first to supervise users taking oral, nasal drugs. News 1130. http://www.news1130.com/2017/06/27/surrey-consumption-site-first-supervise-users-taking-oral-nasal-drugs/.  Accessed October 20, 2017. Published 2017.
  10. British Columbia Coroners Service. Over 1,400 B.C. residents died of suspected illicit drug overdoses in 2017. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. https://archive.news.gov.bc.ca/releases/news_releases_2017-2021/2018PSSG0003-000122.htm.  Accessed March 13, 2018. Published 2018.
  11. Werb D, Wood E, Small W, Strathdee S, Li K, Montaner J, Kerr T. Effects of police confiscation of illicit drugs and syringes among injection drug users in Vancouver. Int J Drug Policy. 2008;19(4):332-338.
  12. Barry CL. Fentanyl and the Evolving Opioid Epidemic: What Strategies Should Policy Makers Consider? Psychiatr Serv. 2018;69(1):100-103. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201700235
  13. Lankenau SE, Teti M, Silva K, Bloom JJ, Harocopos A, Treese M. Initiation into prescription opioid misuse amongst young injection drug users. Int J Drug Policy. 2012;23(1):37-44.

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History

  • Receive Date: 22 December 2017
  • Revise Date: 16 March 2018
  • Accept Date: 17 March 2018
  • First Publish Date: 01 August 2018

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