Use of rapid fentanyl test strips among young adults who use drugs
We examined the uptake and acceptability of rapid fentanyl test strips among young adults. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - October 18, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Maxwell S. Krieger, William C. Goedel, Jane A. Buxton, Mark Lysyshyn, Edward Bernstein, Susan G. Sherman, Josiah D. Rich, Scott E. Hadland, Traci C. Green, Brandon D.L. Marshall Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Fentanyl test strips as an opioid overdose prevention strategy: Findings from a syringe services program in the Southeastern United States
In 2016, the number of overdose deaths involving illicitly-manufactured fentanyl (IMF) surpassed heroin and prescription opioid deaths in the United States for the first time, with IMF-involved overdose deaths increasing more than 500% across 10 states from 2013 to 2016. IMF is an extremely potent synthetic opioid that is regularly mixed with heroin and often sold to unwitting consumers. Community-based organizations have started to distribute fentanyl test strips (FTS) as a strategy to identify IMF in street purchased products. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - October 3, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Nicholas C. Peiper, Sarah Duhart Clarke, Louise B. Vincent, Dan Ciccarone, Alex H. Kral, Jon E. Zibbell Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Editorial Board
(Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - October 1, 2018 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Differences by sex in associations between injection drug risks and drug crime conviction among people who inject drugs in Almaty, Kazakhstan
This study examined sex differences in associations between HIV/HCV infection, HIV knowledge, injection drug risk behaviors, and conviction for a drug crime in a sample of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - September 13, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Phillip L. Marotta, Louisa Gilbert, Assel Terlikbayeva, Elwin Wu, Nabila El-Bassel Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Editorial Board
(Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - September 1, 2018 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Drug detection dogs at Australian outdoor music festivals: Deterrent, detection and iatrogenic effects
Recent drug-related deaths at Australian music festivals have led to increasing concern about the risk of future harm, but contention about how to effectively respond. One hotly debated strategy has been the use of drug detection dogs which currently operate at festivals across Australia, despite claims they are ineffective and contribute to risky drug use practices. This paper aims to investigate responses to the expected presence, and sightings, of drug dogs at the last festival attended. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - August 31, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Jodie Grigg, Monica J. Barratt, Simon Lenton Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Being “hooked up” during a sharp increase in the availability of illicitly manufactured fentanyl: Adaptations of drug using practices among people who use drugs (PWUD) in New York City
Illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF), a category of synthetic opioids 50 –100 times more potent than morphine, is increasingly being added to heroin and other drugs in the United States (US). Persons who use drugs (PWUD) are frequently unaware of the presence of fentanyl in drugs. Use of heroin and other drugs containing fentanyl has been linked to sharp increases in o pioid mortality. In New York City (NYC), opioid-related mortality increased from 8.2 per 100,000 residents in 2010 to 19.9 per 100,000 residents in 2016; and, in 2016, fentanyl accounted for 44% of NYC overdose deaths. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - August 31, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: C. McKnight, D.C. Des Jarlais Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Global drug policy at an impasse: Examining the politics of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session
The 2016 United Nations General Assembly ’s Special Session on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS) was a ‘critical moment’ in recent global drug policy history. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - August 30, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Jessica Sischy, Jarrett Blaustein Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Mourning our dead: The impact of Mexico ’s war on drugs on citizens’ depressive symptoms
Research has shown the substantial impact on mental health for victims of drug-related crime in Mexico, especially individuals who have been heavily exposed to violence. However, the effect of drug-related violence in non-victims has been less studied because causal pathways via indirect violence are more ambiguous. We argue that drug-related violence does have an influence on the mental health of non-victims: For example, because of how violence is publicized by criminal groups, including their use of gruesome killing methods in executions, or via news about government confrontations with these criminal groups. (Source: I...
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - August 13, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Iv án Flores Martínez, Laura Helena Atuesta Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus in young people who inject drugs in four Colombian cities: A cross-sectional study using Respondent Driven Sampling
The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence, demographics, and correlations of risky injection behaviours in HCV seropositive PWID in four Colombian cities (Armenia, Bogot á, Cúcuta and Pereira). (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - August 11, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: David Toro-Tob ón, Dedsy Berbesi-Fernandez, Pedro Mateu-Gelabert, Ángela M. Segura-Cardona, Liliana P. Montoya-Vélez Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Defining and defending drug-free bodybuilding: A current perspective from organisations and their key figures
The use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs in the past seventy years or so has sparked a number of responses, including heated public debates, the creation of dedicated organisations and drug policies, as well as the emergence of communities of practice and belief in support of or in opposition to the phenomenon. Drug-free, known in the field as ‘natural’, bodybuilding has been developing since the 1970 s as a response to a dominant bodybuilding culture where the use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs has become normalised. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - August 9, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Dimitrios Liokaftos Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Situating the syringe
What ’s at stake when the syringe becomes a tool for thinking? Reflecting on the production of Social Science of the Syringe, this commentary describes the empirical challenges of encountering injecting drug users directly affected by Harm Reduction policies as significant stakeholders in the expressio n of drug problems. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - August 9, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Nicole Vitellone Tags: Commentary Source Type: research

Informal recycling, income generation and risk: Health and social harms among people who use drugs
Informal recycling refers to the street-based collection of discarded materials for reuse, resale, or return to a recycling facility for money. While qualitative research has explored experiences and perceptions of informal recycling, little is known about the scope and exposures associated with informal recycling among people who use drugs (PWUD). (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - August 8, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Kaitlyn Jaffe, Huiru Dong, Anna Godefroy, Davin Boutang, Kanna Hayashi, M.-J. S. Milloy, Thomas Kerr, Lindsey Richardson Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Medical marijuana laws and workplace fatalities in the United States
The aim of this research was to determine the association between legalizing medical marijuana and workplace fatalities. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - August 6, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: D. Mark Anderson, Daniel I. Rees, Erdal Tekin Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Beyond deficit and harm reduction: Incorporating the spectrum of wellness as an interpretive framework for cannabis consumption
The cannabis academic literature is informed by dominant deficit, public health and harm reduction frameworks. However, a large majority of cannabis consumption appears to place outside the scope of these models that prioritise the identification and limitation of negative impacts. As such there are apparent analytical blind spots pertaining to: non-problematic use of cannabis (as defined by Global Commission on Drug Policy); the intersection of medical and recreational intents of use; and pleasure. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)
Source: International Journal of Drug Policy - August 6, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Todd Subritzky Tags: Commentary Source Type: research