The International journal on drug policy
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Nov 2019
Engagement with medical cannabis information from online and mass media sources: Is it related to medical cannabis attitudes and support for legalization?
The legalization of medical and recreational cannabis is a topic of continued debate in countries around the world. It has been suggested that medical cannabis legalization influences cannabis legalization for recreational purposes through increased media attention toward the positive health effects of cannabis. However, the nature of media coverage is likely to vary across mass media and online sources (internet and social media). In addition, effects of information engagement on attitudes may vary depending on whether information was actively sought or obtained incidentally during patterns of regular media use (scanned). ⋯ The results suggest that one mechanism through which medical cannabis legalization is associated with cannabis legalization for all purposes is public engagement with information about medical cannabis in the media, particularly from the internet and social media channels. As increasingly more jurisdictions are expected to legalize medical cannabis, with resulting increase in media attention, support for recreational cannabis legalization may be expected to grow.
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Nov 2019
Cigarette, smokeless tobacco, and alcohol use among transgender adults in the United States.
Research suggests that sexual minority adults face disparate risks for poor health outcomes. However, prior research on transgender populations has been limited by small and nonprobability samples and has potentially masked important differences between transgender subgroups. We examined disparities in cigarette, smokeless tobacco, and alcohol consumption by transgender and cisgender adults. ⋯ Significant heterogeneity in smokeless tobacco and alcohol use were found among transgender subgroups, particularly when compared to cisgender females. Our findings demonstrate that it is important to consider sub-identities in both the transgender population and in the reference cisgender population.
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Sep 2019
Correlates of seeking emergency medical help in the event of an overdose in British Columbia, Canada: Findings from the Take Home Naloxone program.
British Columbia (BC), Canada, is experiencing an unprecedented number of opioid overdoses mainly due to the contamination of illicit drugs with fentanyl and its analogues. Reluctance to seek emergency medical help (i.e., by calling 9-1-1) has been identified as a barrier to optimal care for overdose victims. This study aimed to identify the correlates of seeking help during an overdose event when naloxone was administered via BC's Take Home Naloxone (THN) program. ⋯ Overall, medical help was sought for 55.7% of overdoses where naloxone was administered. Overdoses occurring among male victims as well as those receiving higher doses of naloxone and mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing were associated with a higher likelihood of help-seeking by responders. Future interventions need to encourage people who witness an overdose to seek emergency medical help.
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Sep 2019
Chronic pain management among people who use drugs: A health policy challenge in the context of the opioid crisis.
In Canada, the rise in prescription opioid (PO) overdoses and addiction is a major public health concern. Various health authorities have recently recommended that physicians use caution when prescribing opioids, especially to people with histories of substance use. As a result, fewer therapeutic options are available for people who use drugs (PWUD) and suffer from chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). This paper examines how PWUD describe their experiences with CNCP management in the context of the opioid crisis. ⋯ PWUD with CNCP are affected by two opioid crises: the PO crisis and the street-opioid crisis. The lack of a coherent policy that addresses their pain management produces reoccurring problems when seeking CNCP relief. Restrictive prescription measures implemented in response to the PO crisis may have consequences similar to prohibitionist policies: they heighten overdose risks for PWUD by increasing exposure to street drugs laced with fentanyl. Improving access to diverse CNCP management options for PWUD can help reduce harms related to street-opioid use.
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Sep 2019
Losing the uphill battle? Emergent harm reduction interventions and barriers during the opioid overdose crisis in Canada.
Canada continues to experience an escalating opioid overdose crisis that has claimed more than 8000 lives in the country since 2016. The presence of the synthetic opioid fentanyl and its analogues is a central contributor to the increases in preventable opioid-related deaths. ⋯ These examples of innovation and expansion are encouraging but also occurring at the same time that the opioid overdose crisis shows few signs of abating. To truly address the crisis, Canada needs political environments at all government levels that are responsive and foster harm reduction innovation and drug policy experimentation.