Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Full Text Available
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Peer Reviewed
Objective
In 2022, the Drug User Liberation Front opened an unsanctioned compassion club in Vancouver where members could purchase illicit drugs that had been rigorously tested to ensure quality and a lack of potentially fatal contaminants. We sought to evaluate the impact of access to this novel safer supply intervention on non-fatal overdose.
Findings/Key points
In this study, enrolment in an unsanctioned compassion club was found to be associated with reductions in any type of non-fatal overdose and non-fatal overdose involving naloxone administration. These findings highlight the need for ongoing research on safer supply interventions, as well as the potential of non-medicalized compassion clubs to complement existing safer supply programming and reduce overdose events.
Design/methods
Data were obtained from 47 club members via surveys completed at 3-month intervals between August 2022 and October 2023.
