Engaging law enforcement in harm reduction programs for people who inject drugs

Key take-home messages

• Injection drug use is a major contributor to the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C in Canada.
• Laws and policing practices that govern injection drug use influence the risk environment for people who inject drugs.
• Street-level policing activities can hinder injection drug users’ access to sterile syringes, increase needle sharing, and increase rates of HIV and drug-related mortality.
• Certain groups of people who inject drugs may experience unequal targeting by police — these groups include youth, people of colour and Indigenous people.
• Engaging police and law enforcement in harm reduction programs provides an opportunity to reduce the harms associated with injecting.

• Population(s)
  • Children or Youth (less than 18 years old)
  • People who use drugs
  • Indigenous communities
  • Ethnoracial communities
  • General HIV+ population
  • General HIV- population
• Prevention
  • Drug use behaviours/harm reduction