Iversen, J, Hope, VD and McVeigh, J (2016) Access to needle and syringe programs by people who inject image and performance enhancing drugs. International Journal of Drug Policy. ISSN 1873-4758

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Abstract

We appreciate van Beek and Chronister's concerns regarding the funding of harm reduction interventions in an environment of diminishing resources (van Beek & Chronister, 2015), however we disagree with their conclusion and support the international guidelines for equitable and non-discriminatory NSP provision for all people who inject drugs. van Beek and Chronister outline the response of the Kirketon Road Centre (KRC), an established primary health care facility in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), to a potential “public policy dilemma” resulting from an increase in the injection of drugs with the primary purpose of enhancing image and/or performance in Australia (van Beek & Chronister, 2015). Using data from surveys of 102 men injecting image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs) attending the KRC Needle and Syringe Program (NSP), they assessed the risk of blood-borne viral (BBV) infections in this group to be lower than among people who inject drugs primarily for their psychoactive effects. The KRC subsequently implemented a policy decision to limit the availability of injecting equipment from their NSP to people who inject IPEDs. The authors also encouraged other NSP services to undertake local assessments

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	11 Medical And Health Sciences, 17 Psychology And Cognitive Sciences, 16 Studies In Human Society
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Divisions:	Public Health Institute
Publisher:	Elsevier
Date Deposited:	10 Feb 2016 09:33
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2021 13:26
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/2896

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