TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Preferred stimulant safer supply and associations with methamphetamine preference among people who use stimulants in British Columbia: findings from a 2021 cross-sectional survey
JO  - International journal on drug policy
A1  - Ferguson, Max
A1  - Sedgemore, Kali-Olt
A1  - Scow, Marnie
A1  - Choisil, Paul
A1  - Haywood, Beth
A1  - Xavier, Jessica
A1  - Crabtree, Alexis
A1  - Stitilis, Blake
A1  - Liu, Lisa
A1  - Buxton, Jane A.
SP  - e104186
EP  - e104186
VL  - 120
IS  - 
N2  - BACKGROUND: As safer supply programs expand in Canada, stimulant safer supply is often overlooked despite the harms and criminalization faced by people who use stimulants. <br><br>METHODS: The 2021 Harm Reduction Client Survey was administered at 17 harm reduction sites around British Columbia, Canada. The survey included a question about what specific substance participants would want to receive as stimulant safer supply. We investigated preference of stimulant safer substance by looking at frequency of stated preference and by using multivariable logistic regression to understand factors associated with the most frequently chosen substance. <br><br>RESULTS: Of 330 participants who reported a stimulant safer supply preference, 58.5% (n = 193) chose crystal methamphetamine, 13% (n = 43) crack cocaine and 12.4% (n = 41) cocaine powder. The options that were available by prescription at the time of data collection were chosen by under 11% of participants (dextroamphetamine n = 21, methylphenidate n = 15). A preference for crystal methamphetamine was associated with being 29 and under compared to 50 and over (AOR: 3.96, 95% CI: 1.42-11.07, p-value: 0.01); self-identifying as a cis man versus a cis woman (AOR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.03-2.97, p-value: 0.04); and using drugs every day (AOR: 15.43, 95% CI: 3.38-70.51, p-value: < 0.01) or a few times a week (AOR: 8.90, 95% CI: 1.78-44.44, p-value: 0.01) compared to a few times a month. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Preference of stimulant safer supply is associated with age, gender, and substance use characteristics. Safer supply programs that offer limited substances risk being poorly accessed, resulting in a continued reliance on an unregulated supply. Moreover, programs that do not offer a range of substances can contribute to health inequities.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0955-3959
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104186
ID  - ref1
ER  -