Impact of law enforcement on syringe exchange programs: A look at Oakland and San Francisco
- 1 July 1997
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Medical Anthropology
- Vol. 18 (1), 61-83
- https://doi.org/10.1080/01459740.1997.9966150
Abstract
Drug paraphernalia and prescription laws make syringe exchange programs @SEPs@ illegal in most states in the U.S. Nonetheless, SEPs have been started in 25 states and the District of Columbia as of September 1995. In some states like California and New Jersey, SEPs have operated despite police arrest of volunteers and clients. We examine the impact of police action and threat on SEPs by comparing an underground syringe exchange site @SES) in West Oakland to a tolerated SES in the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco. The following data sources are utilized: demographic and service utilization data from Alameda County Exchange (ACE) in West Oakland and Prevention Point Needle and Syringe Exchange (PPNSE) in the Fillmore, San Francisco; demographic and syringe exchange utilization information collected from street‐recruited samples of injection drug users (IDUs) in West Oakland and the Fillmore; and participant observation of SES in these two communities. We found that police action and the threat of police action in West Oakland decreased utilization of SEP by IDUs, limited the number and diversity of volunteers at SES, and inhibited the operation and expansion of SEP.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Maintaining low HIV seroprevalence in populations of injecting drug usersPublished by American Medical Association (AMA) ,1995
- HIV seroprevalence in injection drug usersPublished by American Medical Association (AMA) ,1995
- Continuity and change within an HIV epidemic. Injecting drug users in New York City, 1984 through 1992Published by American Medical Association (AMA) ,1994
- Syringe and needle exchange as HIV/AIDS prevention for injection drug usersPublished by American Medical Association (AMA) ,1994
- Quantitative and Qualitative Methods to Assess Behavioral Change Among Injection Drug UsersDrugs & Society, 1993
- Evaluating needle exchangeAIDS, 1993
- Drug use contexts and HIV‐consequences: the effect of drug policy on patterns of everyday drug use in Rotterdam and the BronxBritish Journal of Addiction, 1992
- The Tacoma Syringe ExchangeJournal of Addictive Diseases, 1991
- Needle-use practices among intravenous drug users in an area where needle purchase is legalAIDS, 1991
- Targeted Sampling: Options for the Study of Hidden PopulationsSocial Problems, 1989