Abstract:Background and objectivesMany low-income and middle-income countries experience problems with open drug scenes and drug-related community issues (DRCIs). These experiences occur in settings with varying levels of health and law enforcement initiatives, and accordingly a range of approaches are implemented to curb the problem. Most of the published literature stems from Western and high-income societies. With this concern, the present study aims to describe a planned project to explore DRCIs in the open drug sc… Show more
“…To analyze the observation data, due to the limited time of the observation, we used descriptive statistics (i.e., frequency, frequency percentage, and ratio). The previous protocol study introduced detailed descriptions of methods [ 7 ]. Fig.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The most serious experienced problems related to ODSs are visibly dealing and consuming drugs in public, unusual and unwanted behaviors of hotspot actors, accumulation of garbage and injecting equipment in the environment, attracting drug users from other parts of the city, lingering of homeless people and sex workers in the neighborhood, and the experience of insecurity and intimidation among local residents [ 2 , 6 , 7 ].…”
Background
Despite law enforcement and health interventions, open drug scenes have led to problems in many countries. The problems are, however, insufficiently explored. There are different types of drug scenes in Iran. This study aimed to explore the issues related to neighbors of one of the drug scenes in Tehran known as Farahzad.
Methods
Data were generated via semi-structured interviews in the first step of the current mixed-method study (2020–2021). Interviewees were people who use drugs (PWUDs), residents and business owners (N = 25). In the next step, a quantitative observation was conducted for eight days. The results were analyzed using conventional content analysis and descriptive statistics.
Results
The perceived problems were ambivalent attitudes about drug scene-related activities, violate of the territory of the self of the effected residents, and everyday concerns. The observation results indicated that men who use drugs are involved in drug scene-related activities more than women are. PWUDs try to hide their activities from the public view. Their efforts were considered “self-regulatory strategies” in the drug scene.
Conclusions
Despite efforts of PWUDs to keep their activities invisible, drug scene-related issues are intolerable for neighbors. Neighbors and PWUDs have ambivalent attitudes. While they are concerned about the human rights of each other, drug scene-related activities have disturbed the neighbor’s daily life and economic activities. Although law enforcement and harm reduction interventions reduce some of the problems, one of the approaches should be improving the coexistence between the neighbors and the residents of the drug scene to achieve broader and more sustainable compromises.
“…To analyze the observation data, due to the limited time of the observation, we used descriptive statistics (i.e., frequency, frequency percentage, and ratio). The previous protocol study introduced detailed descriptions of methods [ 7 ]. Fig.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The most serious experienced problems related to ODSs are visibly dealing and consuming drugs in public, unusual and unwanted behaviors of hotspot actors, accumulation of garbage and injecting equipment in the environment, attracting drug users from other parts of the city, lingering of homeless people and sex workers in the neighborhood, and the experience of insecurity and intimidation among local residents [ 2 , 6 , 7 ].…”
Background
Despite law enforcement and health interventions, open drug scenes have led to problems in many countries. The problems are, however, insufficiently explored. There are different types of drug scenes in Iran. This study aimed to explore the issues related to neighbors of one of the drug scenes in Tehran known as Farahzad.
Methods
Data were generated via semi-structured interviews in the first step of the current mixed-method study (2020–2021). Interviewees were people who use drugs (PWUDs), residents and business owners (N = 25). In the next step, a quantitative observation was conducted for eight days. The results were analyzed using conventional content analysis and descriptive statistics.
Results
The perceived problems were ambivalent attitudes about drug scene-related activities, violate of the territory of the self of the effected residents, and everyday concerns. The observation results indicated that men who use drugs are involved in drug scene-related activities more than women are. PWUDs try to hide their activities from the public view. Their efforts were considered “self-regulatory strategies” in the drug scene.
Conclusions
Despite efforts of PWUDs to keep their activities invisible, drug scene-related issues are intolerable for neighbors. Neighbors and PWUDs have ambivalent attitudes. While they are concerned about the human rights of each other, drug scene-related activities have disturbed the neighbor’s daily life and economic activities. Although law enforcement and harm reduction interventions reduce some of the problems, one of the approaches should be improving the coexistence between the neighbors and the residents of the drug scene to achieve broader and more sustainable compromises.
“…They had no relationship with the participants. Also, they had experience about conducting qualitative research (39). The researcher took notes during group discussions.…”
Background: For decades, harm reduction programs for addiction have been started in Iranian prisons. The programs comprise methadone maintenance treatment, antiretroviral treatment, and other harm reduction programs implemented as a triangular clinic. Despite the lack of funding to provide mental health services, particularly for substance use and harm reduction in prisons of low- and middle-income countries, Iran provides well-developed services. Objectives: The study investigated the implementation and achievements of harm reduction programs in Sanandaj prison located in the center of Kurdistan Province, west of Iran. Methods: This was a qualitative cross-sectional study. We used various information sources such as a checklist and group discussions. The participants were chosen by the purposive sample method and included prison authorities and harm reduction service providers and recipients. The data were analyzed by content analysis. Results: The harm reduction programs included opioid substitution therapy, providing information and education, voluntary counseling and testing for blood-borne diseases, providing condoms, hepatitis C virus screening, and antiretroviral treatment. Following the implementation of the program, a significant decrease in violence, self-injury, illegal drug use and shared syringes, HIV-positive new comers, and no necessity for the needle and syringe program when starting methadone treatment was reported. Conclusions: Commitment to a strict ban on the entering of drugs to the prison is a reason for the use of high-risk methods of drug use and behaviors such as injection, self-injury, or violence. Sharing syringes and needles is a major cause of the transmission of HIV and hepatitis viruses among drug users. Harm reduction programs, especially methadone maintenance treatment and antiretroviral treatment, have reduced a large proportion of drug-related harms in prisons. Scaling up the programs and their extension to post-release treatment will greatly reduce the country's health costs.
“…The DRCIs include (1) drug-related crimes in relation to regulations and laws and (2) drug-related undesirable, unpleasant, annoying, threatening or harmful, and in some cases, unacceptable activities, and behaviors. DR-CIs have negative influences on businesses, daily life, and the possibility of enjoying recreational and public space for the surrounding population of ODSs, and also it is harmful for people who use drugs (PWUDs) themselves [5][6][7]. These problems include public drug consumption/injection, disposal of drug-related litter, overt drug-related poisoning, drug dealing in public transactions, and exposure of local children to these scenes [8].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Some officials and people do not tolerate the existence of ODSs. In contrast, many inhabitants, civic authorities, and local businesses have adopted harm reduction programs to manage the health and social impact of these scenes [6,8,9].…”
<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Places where people deal and/or use drugs publicly are known as open drug scenes (ODSs). Drug-related community impacts (DRCIs) refer to drug-related issues that negatively influence public and individual health, communities, businesses, and recreational and public space enjoyment. There are no well-established criteria for identification of DRCIs. We therefore performed a scoping review of literature to determine DRCIs indicators associated with ODSs. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScP). We searched English articles in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases from 1990 to 2021. The keywords were drug-related crime, drug-related offense, misconduct, social marginalization, homeless drug users, open drug scene, drug-related street disorder, public nuisance, and community impact. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Sixty-four studies were identified. Twenty-five studies were included. Two studies (8%) were about drug-related public nuisance, 1 (4%) considered drug-related social problems, 2 (8%) focused on drug-related social disorder, and 18 studies (72%) discussed indicators of community impacts such as crime, drug-related litter, safety, noise, and drug use in public. Two studies (8%) included the frequency of drug use in ODSs. <b><i>Discussion:</i></b> DRCI indicators are heterogenic, and various factors affect the indicators. The factors include social mores, political discourse, and historical approaches to dealing with and using drugs. Some societies do not tolerate the existence of ODSs. In contrast, many countries have adopted harm reduction programs to manage DRCIs. Identified DRCI indicators were drug using and dealing in public, drug-related litter, crime, drug-related loitering, street-based income generation activities, noise, and unsafety feelings in inhabitants. To solve the problems associated with DRCIs and to make a major change in ODSs, it is necessary to pay attention to the improvement of the economic conditions (e.g., employment opportunities), amendment (e.g., determine the limits of criminalization in drug use), and adoption of social policies (e.g., providing low-threshold and supportive services for homeless drug users).
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