Abstract
No abstract available.
Highlights
Countries that have implemented comprehensive harm reduction programmes have managed to turn around epidemics of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection
1.2.2 Methods of drug use Drugs can be taken by different administration modes, which can lead to different effects and varying degrees of harm
Intravenous (IV) administration is associated with rapid onset and peak of action, with elevated risks: for opioids, this includes overdose and for stimulants, such as cocaine, this includes arrhythmia
Summary
People have always used drugs to alter health, perceptions, relationships and state of mind[1] and this is not likely to change. In 2017, more than 271 million people had used unregulated drugs in the preceding year.[2]. The criminalisation of people who use certain drugs increases levels of stigma, encourages misinformation and contributes to harms, including high rates of preventable deaths.[3]. A purely biomedical approach – that presumes that all people who use drugs require treatment, and all drug use and dependence represents a disease requiring specialist medical intervention – carries the risk of stigma and often fails to pay due attention to the social and economic context in which dependent drug use occurs.[3]. Criminalisation and the pathologisation of drug use may intensify social disruption and hinder the provision of effective responses.[4]. Countries that have implemented comprehensive harm reduction programmes have managed to turn around epidemics of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection
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