Awareness, predictors and outcomes of drug alerts among people who access harm reduction services in British Columbia, Canada: findings from a 2021 cross-sectional survey

Original research
by
Daowd, Kerolos et al

Release Date

2023

Geography

Canada

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

Yes

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Yes

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

To assess the awareness and predictors of seeing/hearing a drug alert in British Columbia (BC) and subsequent drug use behaviour after seeing/hearing an alert.

Findings/Key points

We found that drug alerts were mostly disseminated through communication with friends or peers and that most participants altered their drug use behaviour after seeing/hearing a drug alert. Therefore, drug alerts can play a role in reducing harms from substance use and more work is needed to reach diverse populations, such as younger people, those in differing geographical locations, and those who attend harm reduction sites more frequently.

Design/methods

Data from the 2021 BC harm reduction client survey (HRCS)—a cross-sectional self-reported survey administered at harm reduction sites throughout the province and completed by participants using the services.

Keywords

Illegal drugs
Harm reduction
Drug checking