Prevalence and Circumstances of Drug Injection at Los Angeles Shooting Galleries

Abstract

This study estimates the prevalence of drug injection at shooting galleries in Los Angeles and describes their characteristics. Data indicate that 23% of local drug injectors went to a gallery during the year before their interview and that drug use at shooting galleries may have been underestimated in other studies. “Dirty works” are commonly shared in Los Angeles galleries, and gallery access is not limited to people who know each other. However, galleries in the eastern and western United States appear to differ in their scale of operation, that is, the number of users who visit them on a given day.