Drug-related harm among people who inject drugs in Thailand: summary findings from the Mitsampan Community Research Project

Harm Reduction Journal

Thomas Kerr²  Evan Wood²  Paisan Suwannawong³  Karyn Kaplan³  Nadia Fairbairn²  Lianping Ti¹  Kanna Hayashi⁴ 

[1] Urban Health Research Initiative, British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada;Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 317-2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada;Mitsampan Harm Reduction Center / Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group, 18/89 Vipawadee Rd., soi 40 Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand;Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Green College, Green Commons, Room 153A, 6201 Cecil Green Park Rd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada

关键词: Thailand;    Community-based participatory research;    Harm reduction;    Drug law enforcement;    Injection drug use;   

Others  :  809849
DOI  :  10.1186/1477-7517-10-21

 received in 2012-07-09, accepted in 2013-09-24,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

For decades, Thailand has experienced high rates of illicit drug use and related harms. In response, the Thai government has relied on drug law enforcement to address this problem. Despite these efforts, high rates of drug use persist, and Thailand has been contending with an enduring epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among people who inject drugs (IDU).

Methods

In response to concerns regarding drug-related harm in Thailand and a lack of research focused on the experiences and needs of Thai IDU, the Mitsampan Community Research Project was launched in 2008. The project involved administering surveys capturing a range of behavioral and other data to community-recruited IDU in Bangkok in 2008 and 2009.

Results

In total, 468 IDU in Bangkok were enrolled in the project. Results revealed high rates of midazolam injection, non-fatal overdose and incarceration. Syringe sharing remained widespread among this population, driven primarily by problems with access to syringes and methamphetamine injection. As well, reports of police abuse were common and found to be associated with high-risk behavior. Problems with access to evidence-based drug treatment and HIV prevention programs were also documented. Although compulsory drug detention centers are widely used in Thailand, data suggested that these centers have little impact on drug use behaviors among IDU in Bangkok.

Conclusions

The findings from this project highlight many ongoing health and social problems related to illicit drug use and drug policies in Bangkok. They also suggest that the emphasis on criminal justice approaches has resulted in human rights violations at the hands of police, and harms associated with compulsory drug detention and incarceration. Collectively, the findings indicate the urgent need for the implementation of evidence-based policies and programs in this setting.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Hayashi et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

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