Revisioning women and drug use: gender sensitivity, embodiment and reducing harm

The purpose of this paper is ‘to revision’ our approach to women's use of drugs – which means to let go of how we have seen in order to construct new perceptions. Women use a variety of substances for a range of reasons, including pleasure. Yet, women who experience problems are left feeling stigmatised, marginalised and demoralised. The paper includes three inter-related discussions. First, two co-existing approaches to drug use, the classical and the postmodern, are explained. Second, after demonstrating how the postmodern approach is more valuable for the development of a gender-sensitive perspective, I will, with special reference to drug use, explain the complexities of two contemporary concepts, gender and embodiment. Here, I attempt to generate a deeper appreciation of these concepts in the postmodern approach. Third, I ask, ‘How can we develop a gender-sensitive, harm reduction approach’? The contention is that while harm reduction philosophies are admirable, these need to be gender-sensitive in order to be effective. A multi-levelled, ‘gender-sensitive’ view of harm reduction is put forward, as harm reduction is examined at the subjective, treatment, relationship, occupational and leisure levels.     

The association of client characteristics and acceptance of harm reduction: A policy-capturing study of psychologists

The current study employed a policy-capturing methodology to examine the degree to which selected client characteristics (i.e., years of drug use, previous drug treatment, criminal history, employment status, psychiatric history, HIV status, gender, race) were associated with psychologists’ ratings of the acceptability of two harm reduction interventions: needle exchange (NE) and short-term methadone (STM) treatment. A sample of psychologists were mailed a booklet containing 64 case profiles of injection drug users and asked to rate the acceptability of either NE or STM as an intervention for the client described in each profile. Ratings of the acceptability of NE were meaningfully correlated with profile clients’ number of previous treatment attempts and with profile clients’ being described as HIV positive. Acceptance of STM was generally lower than acceptance of NE, and acceptability ratings of STM were associated with profile clients’ number of previous treatment attempts, years of drug use, and employment and legal status.     

学术期刊“洗稿”现象的诱因、危害与应对策略

【目的】 探讨学术期刊“洗稿”现象、诱因及其危害,并提出应对“洗稿”行为的具体策略,以树立良好的学术风气,促进学术事业的健康发展。【方法】 采用文献法和逻辑推理法,阐述学术出版领域“洗稿”现象的原因、危害,并提出治理策略。【结果】 针对“洗稿”现象和危害,提出治理措施:完善相应的法律法规,加大对“洗稿”行为的认定和惩罚力度;学术期刊应提升对“洗稿”行为的鉴别能力;深入开展学术道德宣传教育,加强对论文作者的诚信教育;期刊界应联手加强内部监督和外部监督,发挥互联网平台的监督作用等。【结论】 国家、社会、期刊界等多方合力,可以有效预防“洗稿”行为的发生。     

Harm,tangible or feared: Young Victorians’ adverse experiences from others’ drinking or drug use

BackgroundHarms from alcohol experienced by someone other than the drinker have received increasing attention of late, but have not been compared to harms from others’ drug use. The aim of the current study is to compare the reported harms that are attributable to the alcohol use of others to those attributable to drugs, distinguishing between different types of harm in order to highlight how reported harms may be influenced by perception and social standing of use of the substance.MethodRespondents aged 16–24 from Victoria, Australia, completed the Victorian Youth Alcohol and Drug Survey (n = 5001), including questions on demographics, drug and alcohol consumption, on the types of harms they experienced attributable to drugs and alcohol, as well as harms they perpetrated after using drugs or alcohol.ResultsFor both drug and alcohol related harms, reports of harms loaded into two groups using multiple correspondence analysis: tangible harms such as assault, and amenity impacts such as being annoyed by people under the influence. Amenity impacts attributed to alcohol were more likely to be experienced by those who reported drug use and vice versa, while the tangible impacts were more likely to be reported by those who used both drugs and alcohol.ConclusionsReports of amenity impacts from others appear to be influenced by the perception of the drug in question more than tangible impacts such as assault. Particularly for amenity impacts, the greater stigma attached to drug use may make respondents more likely to consider themselves harmed by drugs than they would when compared to alcohol, something that needs to be taken into account when assessing harms by either alcohol or drugs.     

Assembling the dominant accounts of youth drug use in Australian harm reduction drug education

Education programs are a central element of Australian harm reduction drug policy. Considered less judgmental and more effective than the punitive policies of Australia's past, harm reduction drug education is premised on the goal of reducing ‘risks’ and harms associated with illicit drug use rather than an elimination of use per se. In this article I analyse two sets of key texts designed to reduce drug related harm in Australia: harm reduction teaching resources designed for classroom use and social marketing campaigns that are targeted to a more general audience. I identify two significant accounts of young people's drug use present in Australian harm reduction drug education: ‘damaged mental health’ and ‘distress’. I then draw on some of Deleuze and Guattari's key concepts to consider the harm reducing potential these accounts may have for young people's drug using experiences. To demonstrate the potential limitations of current drug education, I refer to an established body of work examining young people's experiences of chroming. From here, I argue that the accounts of ‘damaged mental health’ and ‘distress’ may work to limit the capacity of young drug users to practice safer drug use. In sum, current Australian harm reduction drug education and social marketing may be producing rather than reducing drug related harm.     

藏药旺拉的氨基酸成分分析

目的 :对藏药旺拉 (长苞凹舌兰 )游离氨基酸的组成及含量进行分析。方法 :应用氨基酸自动分析仪进行测定。结果 :旺拉所含游离氨基酸的总量为 5 5 8 4 4mg/ 10 0 g ,氨基酸的组分为 16种 ,其中包括人体必需氨基酸 7种和人体半必需氨基酸 3种。结论 :这一结果为评价藏药旺拉的药用价值提供了一定的依据     

人体蠕形螨调查报告

为了解我区人民蠕形螨的感染及面部皮肤受损情况,采用随机的方法对部分居民农民、学生进行调查．用透明胶带于晚睡前贴在脸上各部位并于次晨撕下贴在载玻片上送检。调查结果表明：我区人群蠕形螨感染率为３０．８０％,男女感染率无显著差别,感染率随年龄的增加而升高,虫种以毛囊蠕形螨为主占６９．９６５,蠕形螨主要分布于脸颊部。蠕形螨对人体的危害主要表现为面部皮脂分泌增加及瘙痒、面部散在性红色斑血疹,毛孔增粗等。     

Arguments supporting and opposing legalization of safe consumption sites in the U.S.

BackgroundSafe consumption sites are spaces where people can legally use pre-obtained drugs under medical supervision and are currently in operation in Canada, Australia and Western Europe. These sites are effective in reducing opioid overdose mortality and other harms associated with opioid use, such as HIV infection, and increasing drug treatment entry. Various U.S. communities are considering establishing safe consumption sites, however, only 29% of U.S. adults support their legalization. This purpose of this study is to assess what types of arguments resonate with the public in support of and opposition to legalizing safe consumption sites to combat the opioid epidemic.MethodsA public opinion survey of U.S. adults in July-August 2017 (N = 1004) used a probability-based sample of respondents from a large, nationally representative online panel. The survey examined the public’s perception of the strength of common arguments offered in support of and opposition to legalizing safe consumption sites. Arguments were identified through a detailed scan of news media coverage, public reports, and advocacy materials.ResultsThe national sample of U.S. adults rated all arguments opposing legalization of safe consumption sites as stronger than any of the arguments supporting legalization. The most highly rated opposing arguments were that public funds were better spent on addiction treatment, and that sites were allowing illegal activity and encouraging people to use drugs. The highest rated arguments supporting legalization were that safe consumption sites were a better alternative than arresting people for using drugs, they would reduce HIV and hepatitis C by encouraging safe injection practices, and that they would lower emergency department admission and hospitalization costs.ConclusionLegalization of this evidence-based harm reduction approach in U.S. communities will be difficult to advance without public education to confront persistent myths that safe consumption sites encourage drug use and do not facilitate treatment access.     

Public drug use in eight U.S. cities: Health risks and other factors associated with place of drug use

BackgroundDrug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States (U.S.). Previous studies have found that place of drug use is associated with risks including overdose, sharing of drug use equipment, and arrest, but the research on this subject in the U.S. is limited.MethodsOur study describes the relationship between place of drug use and health outcomes through the analysis of associations between frequent public drug use and drug-related arrest, overdose, and reuse of injection equipment. We analysed data from a cross-sectional, observational study of individuals who utilize syringe exchange services in 8 U.S. cities. Using regression analysis, we assessed associations between public drug use, demographic characteristics, and health risks.ResultsHalf (48%) of the respondents (N = 575) reported that at least one of their top two most frequent places of drug use is a public place. Street homelessness (AOR = 17.44), unstable housing (AOR = 3.43) and being under age 30 (AOR = 1.85) were independently associated with increased odds of frequent public drug use. Frequent public drug use was associated with increased odds of past-year arrest for drug-related offenses (AOR = 1.87).ConclusionPublic drug use is associated with negative health and social outcomes. Increased access to harm reduction services, housing, and supervised consumption sites (SCS) interventions and a shift away from punitive approaches to drug use may reduce the some of the harms associated with public drug use.