Internet sourcing and unsafe use of controlled drugs (opioids, sedatives and GABA drugs) in the UK: An in depth case study of consumer dynamics during COVID-19

Hillis, Alyson; Germain, Jennifer; Whitfield, M; Halsall, Devina; McVeigh, Jim; Abbasi, Yasir; Hout, Marie Claire Van

doi:10.1016/j.etdah.2022.100049

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…A small number of participants spoke of the intermittent use of street tablets, illicit versions of prescription drugs such as benzodiazapines and zopliclone. Illicit street tablets are unpredictable in quality, strength, and effect [ 5 , 60 ] and can be dangerous when taken alongside diamorphine, leading to some incidences of sedation and subsequent dose refusal. I was in a safe environment, they were looking out for me, I turned up a couple of times wrecked, not all the time, but a couple of times wrecked and they turned me away; rightly so, I would have died in there if they didn't.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘This is hardcore’: a qualitative study exploring service users’ experiences of Heroin-Assisted Treatment (HAT) in Middlesbrough, England

et al. 2023

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Background Heroin-Assisted Treatment (HAT) is well evidenced internationally to improve health and social outcomes for people dependent on opioids who have not been helped by traditional treatment options. Despite this evidence base, England has been slow to implement HAT. The first service outside of a trial setting opened in 2019, providing twice-daily supervised injections of medical-grade heroin (diamorphine) to a select sample of high-risk heroin users in Middlesbrough. This paper explores their experiences, including the negotiation of the strict regularly controls required of a novel intervention in the UK context. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews with service providers and users of the Middlesbrough HAT service between September and November 2021. Data from each group were thematically analysed and reported separately. This paper details the experiences of the twelve heroin dependent men and women accessing HAT. Results Participants’ accounts of HAT treatment evidenced a tension between the regulatory constraints and uncertainty of treatment provision, and the positive outcomes experienced through supportive service provision and an injectable treatment option. Limited confidence was held in treatment efficacy, longevity of funding, and personal capacity for treatment success. This was counteracted by a strong motivation to cease engagement with the illicit drug market. While attendance requirements placed restrictions on daily activities, participants also experienced benefits from strong, supportive bonds built with the service providers through their continued engagement. Conclusions The Middlesbrough HAT programme provided benefits to a high-risk population of opioid dependent people who were unable or disinclined to participate in conventional opioid substitution treatments. The findings in this paper highlight the potential for service modifications to further enhance engagement. The closure of this programme in 2022 prohibits this opportunity for the Middlesbrough community, but holds potential to inform advocacy and innovation for future HAT interventions in England.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘This is hardcore’: a qualitative study exploring service users’ experiences of Heroin-Assisted Treatment (HAT) in Middlesbrough, England

et al. 2023

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“…Denna osynliga skuld framträder när givaren behöver något som mottagaren har (jfr Sahlins 2004) Utbyten inom Lindas grupp minskar risken för att bli lurad, det vill säga det som Sahlins (2004) betecknar som negativ reciprocitet. Detta är ett vanligt inslag, och narkotikans illegalitet gör att den är okontrollerad och köparen vet inte vad drogen består av (Hillis et al 2023;Measham och Turnbull 2021;Nahar, Murphy och Paterson 2019). Linda talar om sitt umgänge med stolthet, vilket pekar på den speciella ställning som sådana utbyten har i statussammanhang.…”

Section: Ett Gåvoperspektiv På Hederskodex Och Hierarkierunclassified

Konsten att göra (sprut)utbyten: Sprutbytets betydelse i skärningspunkten mellan politik, yrkespraktik och människors vardagsliv

Nordstedt

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The Art of Needle Exchange: The Significance of Needle Exchange Programs at the Intersection of Politics, Professional Practice, and People's Everyday Lives This doctoral thesis discusses how social meanings are constructed in needle exchange programs. For nearly four decades, Sweden has implemented needle exchange programs to prevent the spread of bloodborne viral infections. However, a restrictive drug policy and resistance to harm reduction efforts have led to limitations in access to these programs, both in terms of geography and through an exclusionary regulatory framework. The effectiveness of needle exchange programs in reducing the risk of infection associated with injection-related behaviour is clearly positive. However, there are limited scientific studies on the more socially oriented meanings of needle exchange programs. With needle exchange programs as a physical and social place, the overarching aim of this thesis is to understand how the creation of social meanings of needle exchanges is achieved through time, space, and social interaction, primarily between the program's visitors and its staff. The empirical material primarily consists of 16 months of ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observations and informal conversations at two needle exchange programs in southern Sweden, as well as in the everyday lives of individuals who visit these programs. Through extensive ethnographic narratives and analyses based on theories of everyday life, resistance, time, and gifts, the thesis demonstrates that needle exchange programs hold multiple meanings created through interactions between visitors and staff. Two concurrent and parallel tracks contribute to understanding what needle exchange programs mean to those who visit them. One track starts with a counterproductive regulatory framework where requirements and rules result in some visitors coming less often than they need to or not at all. The other track involves countless material and relational exchanges that foster positive experiences of the needle exchange program, turning it into a place of social hope and a changed future. One of the thesis's most significant findings concerns the social work that takes place at the needle exchange program in the interactions between visitors and staff. These interactions also occur at the intersection of the norms and hierarchies of the drug world and the Swedish dream of a drug- free society. In the waiting room of the needle exchange program, negotiations are constantly underway to maintain it as a place of hopeful encounters, as opposed to a destructive refuge.

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“…Another significant structural event that may help explain the 2016 breakpoint is the 13th Five-Year Plan and the repeal of the one-child policy, which had been in place since the 1970s. Developed economies' 11th Five-Year Plan (Hillis et al, 2023), which prioritizes sustainable energy, is mainly responsible for the renewable energy shocks of 2007. The ecological footprint and natural resource rents are environmental metrics that mark the 2002 and 2004 thresholds, respectively (Tables 2-6).…”

Section: Effects On Income Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic and social impacts of the green energy transition: A pathway towards 100% renewable energy agenda

Ma¹

2023

Geological Journal

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Despite the world economy's tremendous growth, significant environmental and sustainability concerns need adequate attention. Ecological, environmental conservation is facilitated by “green production” and the promotion of 100% renewable energy development goals.” The 100% renewable energy development goal is hailed in the developed economies as a fresh set of policy initiatives that, primarily via the use of renewable energy and resource efficiency, seek to achieve social objectives, including socio‐economic impacts and the reduction of economic inequality. This study examines the potential energy transition based on current technology and the green productivity of 40 industrialized nations from 1990 to 2020. In most industrialized nations, green growth is positive, efficiency change is negative and technology advancement is the primary factor behind economic and environmental improvement. Furthermore, our empirical findings show that trade between nations encourages green output in developed nations. The potential energy transition rate across industrialized nations is 5.21% on average. This suggests that, on average, 5.11% of each advanced nation's total energy usage can be changed from dirty to clean energy.

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Internet sourcing and unsafe use of controlled drugs (opioids, sedatives and GABA drugs) in the UK: An in depth case study of consumer dynamics during COVID-19

Cited by 6 publications

References 21 publications

‘This is hardcore’: a qualitative study exploring service users’ experiences of Heroin-Assisted Treatment (HAT) in Middlesbrough, England

‘This is hardcore’: a qualitative study exploring service users’ experiences of Heroin-Assisted Treatment (HAT) in Middlesbrough, England

Konsten att göra (sprut)utbyten: Sprutbytets betydelse i skärningspunkten mellan politik, yrkespraktik och människors vardagsliv

Economic and social impacts of the green energy transition: A pathway towards 100% renewable energy agenda

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