{"title":"Managing risks and harms associated with the use of anabolic steroids: a qualitative study.","authors":"J M X Amaral, A Kimergård, P Deluca","doi":"10.1186/s12954-025-01269-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12954-025-01269-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>People using anabolic steroids adopt different strategies to manage risks and harms associated with the use of these substances. We investigated how users learn, develop and incorporate risk-management strategies, as well as the events triggering changes in their health-related behaviour.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with anabolic steroid users living in the UK to discuss their risk-management strategies (19 males, 1 female; median age = 35.5 years; median time of anabolic steroid use = 9 years). Online interviews were transcribed verbatim and qualitative data was analysed via iterative categorisation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The use of risk-management strategies was characterised as a continuous cycle of identification, prevention and control of risks and harms. Preventative strategies were more commonly adopted after many years of anabolic steroid use. Changes in life circumstances and adverse health conditions were described as common triggers for changes in behaviour, including the cessation of anabolic steroid use.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings can inform interventions aimed at increasing awareness and promoting healthier behaviours among people who use anabolic steroids. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the risk-management strategies employed by this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":12922,"journal":{"name":"Harm Reduction Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":"129"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12302693/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144729908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shannon Christensen, Jacqui Richmond, Emma Beavon, Adrian Gorringe, Emily Adamson, Jack Wallace, Paul Armstrong, John Gobeil, Ele Morrison, Sione Crawford, Nadia Gavin, Mary Ellen Harrod, Charles Henderson, Alisa Pedrana, Louisa Walsh
{"title":"Mapping experiences of workplace stigma and discrimination within the lived-living experience of illicit drug use and bloodborne virus peer workforce: a scoping review.","authors":"Shannon Christensen, Jacqui Richmond, Emma Beavon, Adrian Gorringe, Emily Adamson, Jack Wallace, Paul Armstrong, John Gobeil, Ele Morrison, Sione Crawford, Nadia Gavin, Mary Ellen Harrod, Charles Henderson, Alisa Pedrana, Louisa Walsh","doi":"10.1186/s12954-025-01282-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12954-025-01282-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Peer workers with lived-living experience of illicit drug use and/or bloodborne viruses are critical in linking community with health services and programs. Despite the increasing demand for, and recognition of, the value and contributions of peer workers, the risk of workplace stigma and discrimination due to their lived-living experience remains a persistent issue. This scoping review aims to map available literature about workplace stigma and discrimination against peer workers with lived-living experience of drug use or bloodborne virus. The methods used in this scoping review were guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. A Population-Context-Concept format was used to develop search strategies conducted across four databases to assess articles for eligibility. Community representatives from Australian national and state-based peer-led Drug User Organisations provided input and expertise into all components of this review. Data was extracted and analysed from 61 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Findings were mapped against five levels the Socioecological Model of Health framework, and presented as key risk factors that either increase vulnerability to or sustain stigma and discrimination in the workplace, or protective factors that promote resilience and positive workplace experiences for peer workers. This review highlights that workplace stigma and discrimination towards peer workers takes many forms, including increased emotional labour, negative attitudes or behaviours towards peer workers from non-peer staff, disparities in working conditions between peer workers and non-peer staff, and law enforcement activities that impact peer work. Workplace stigma and discrimination experienced by peer workers can be addressed through adequate planning and the development of organisations and systems that address and acknowledge the existence of stigma and work to create safe work environments for peer workers. This includes organisational policies and training which recognises the unique emotional burdens experienced by peer work and addresses unequal employment conditions between peer- and non-peer staff, and broader societal changes around how drug use is policed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12922,"journal":{"name":"Harm Reduction Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":"127"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12291503/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144717790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"\"Injecting yourself there is stigma around it; taking a few tablets is not too bad, is it?\": understanding perceptions and preferences of anabolic-androgenic steroid route of administration.","authors":"Luke Cox, Timothy Piatkowski, Matthew Dunn","doi":"10.1186/s12954-025-01198-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12954-025-01198-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are administered via injectable and oral route of administration (ROA). Each ROA carries a distinct set of challenges and risks; however, scarce qualitative research has focused on why people who use AAS select one ROA over another.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study aims to explore the perceptions and preferences underpinning the decision behind ROA.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with people from the UK who use AAS.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The findings demonstrate that participants had four primary initiation patterns: exclusive use of orals, exclusive use of injectables, and a transition from orals to include injectables or injectables to orals. Factors underpinning drug ROA included: stigma; risk; fear; convenience; efficacy; knowledge of drugs and their desired effects; health; motivations for use; and experience, including number of cycles completed. Each of these factors contributed to differences within the choice underpinning drug ROA.</p><p><strong>Recommendation: </strong>With needle and syringe programs being the primary public health intervention for AAS consumers in the UK, oral-only consumers likely experience a lack of critical support services. We suggest future harm reduction strategies consider ways to engage oral-only AAS consumers, especially considering their comparatively lower prioritization of health concerns.</p>","PeriodicalId":12922,"journal":{"name":"Harm Reduction Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":"128"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12297813/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144717789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martin Bastien, Salim Mezaache, Cécile Donadille, Laélia Briand Madrid, Maëla Lebrun, Victor Martin, Perrine Roux
{"title":"Willingness to use a drug checking service for cannabis and cannabis-based products: results from an online survey of people who regularly use cannabis in France.","authors":"Martin Bastien, Salim Mezaache, Cécile Donadille, Laélia Briand Madrid, Maëla Lebrun, Victor Martin, Perrine Roux","doi":"10.1186/s12954-025-01274-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12954-025-01274-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>As cannabis is illegal in France, there is no regulation of the quality or composition of cannabis products on the illicit market. Although access to drug checking services for people who use drugs (PUD) is possible in several harm reduction (HR) structures for a large number of illicit substances, these structures seldom have the tools needed to adequately analyze organic substances such as cannabis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted an online survey among people who use cannabis. The survey questionnaire collected data on respondents' socio-demographic characteristics, use of cannabis and other psychoactive substances, and their willingness to use a cannabis drug checking service. We constructed a multivariable logistic regression model to explore factors associated with the latter dimension.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the 553 participants included in the analyses, 73.4% said they would be willing to use a cannabis checking service. Self-identifying as a woman was negatively associated with the desire to use such a service (ORa [95% CI] = 0.54 [0.35-0.86]). In contrast, having a tertiary education level (ORa [95% CI] = 2.14 [1.45-3.17]) and declaring therapeutic use of cannabis (sometimes/often: ORa [95% CI] = 1.71 [1.09-2.69]; always: ORa [95% CI] = 2.61 [1.25-5.49]) were positively associated factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results highlight the strong willingness of many people who use cannabis in France to control the quality of the cannabis they obtain, particularly persons who use cannabis for therapeutic reasons. The implementation of adequate cannabis checking services in HR structures must take into account the diversity of populations that consume cannabis; in particular, they should be designed in such a way as that more women and persons with a lower level of education will use them.</p>","PeriodicalId":12922,"journal":{"name":"Harm Reduction Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":"126"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275433/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Molly C Reid, Kristin E Schneider, Allison O'Rourke, Maisie A Conrad, Pamela M Hughes, Melissa L Walls, Sean T Allen
{"title":"Willingness to use syringe services programs in a Northern Midwest American Indian community.","authors":"Molly C Reid, Kristin E Schneider, Allison O'Rourke, Maisie A Conrad, Pamela M Hughes, Melissa L Walls, Sean T Allen","doi":"10.1186/s12954-025-01248-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12954-025-01248-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12922,"journal":{"name":"Harm Reduction Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":"123"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275310/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rita El Haddad, Emmanuel Wiernik, Sofiane Kab, Marie Zins, Guillaume Airagnes
{"title":"The association between cannabis use and adherence to COVID-19 public health guidelines: prospective analyses from the French CONSTANCES cohort and SAPRIS survey.","authors":"Rita El Haddad, Emmanuel Wiernik, Sofiane Kab, Marie Zins, Guillaume Airagnes","doi":"10.1186/s12954-025-01278-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12954-025-01278-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To examine the association between the frequency of cannabis use and adherence to COVID-19 public health guidelines among adults in France between April and October 2020.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data from the CONSTANCES cohort on 39,450 adults participating in the SAPRIS survey were analyzed. The associations between non-adherence to handwashing, mask-wearing and social distancing and cannabis use frequency in 2019 at two periods of time, wave 1 + 2 (confinement) and wave 3 (deconfinement), were examined using binary logistic regression. The models were adjusted for age, sex, education, marital status, accommodation, tobacco use, self-rated health, anxiety and depressive symptoms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared to no cannabis use during the past 12 months, cannabis use less than once per month was negatively associated with handwashing at wave 3 (Odds Ratio [95% Confidence Interval]) 1.46 [1.28-1.66], mask-wearing at wave 1 + 2 (1.26 [1.05-1.52]) and at wave 3 (1.60 [1.35-1.89]) and social distancing at wave 1 + 2 (1.32 [1.16-1.50]) and at wave 3 (1.55[1.32-1.83]). Cannabis use once per month or more was negatively associated with mask-wearing at wave 3 (1.41 [1.11-1.80]) and social distancing at wave 1 + 2 (1.27 [1.06-1.52]) and at wave 3 (1.57 [1.25-1.98]).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Cannabis use may be associated with less adherence to COVID-19 public health guidelines.</p>","PeriodicalId":12922,"journal":{"name":"Harm Reduction Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":"121"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12273274/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Simon Fleißner, Larissa Steimle, Dirk Schäffer, Bernd Werse, Daniel Deimel, Maria Kuban, Heino Stöver
{"title":"The implementation of take-home naloxone: Lessons learned from a 3-year take-home naloxone project in Germany.","authors":"Simon Fleißner, Larissa Steimle, Dirk Schäffer, Bernd Werse, Daniel Deimel, Maria Kuban, Heino Stöver","doi":"10.1186/s12954-025-01281-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12954-025-01281-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Take-home naloxone (THN) can prevent deaths related to opioid overdoses. Despite the first THN project in Germany in 1998, the availability of naloxone for people who use opioids (PWUO) is still scarce. We present the results of the German-wide THN-project NALtrain, which aimed to implement THN nationwide. Firstly, we present data collected during NALtrain and secondly, we use this data to critically reflect on the project and thereby draw conclusions that could inform future THN projects.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>NALtrain was conducted between July 2021 and June 2024. Descriptive statistical analysis of the documentation of 74 train-the-trainer events and following naloxone trainings conducted by the trained staff were carried out.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>864 staff members from approximately 373 organizations (mainly harm reduction services) participated in 74 train-the-trainer courses. Of the 373 organizations 123 conducted 784 naloxone trainings for PWUO and reached 2,333 PWUO, of whom 1,451 received THN. The goal of training 800 staff members was met, while the goals of reaching 400 organizations and 10,000 PWUO were missed. The implementation of THN is unevenly distributed across the German federal states, especially concentrated in Bavaria. The core learnings are that the prescription-only status of THN leads to extra organizational efforts and hinders the availability of THN for individuals with the highest risk of overdose.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Considering the proportion of organizations offering THN, they can still be classified as \"early adopters\". These may serve as role models for the broader majority. Free available THN and centrally coordinated support of implementation including recurring follow-up can be key to a broader availability of THN in Germany. In future initiatives physicians and medical settings should be prioritized.</p>","PeriodicalId":12922,"journal":{"name":"Harm Reduction Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":"120"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12273464/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Winston E Luhur, Cristina L Chin, Jazmine M Li, Grey Marsh, Dan Coello, Aaron Fox, Honoria Guarino, Denis Nash, Viraj V Patel, Czarina N Behrends
{"title":"HOME protocol for a national online survey of people who inject drugs.","authors":"Winston E Luhur, Cristina L Chin, Jazmine M Li, Grey Marsh, Dan Coello, Aaron Fox, Honoria Guarino, Denis Nash, Viraj V Patel, Czarina N Behrends","doi":"10.1186/s12954-025-01260-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12954-025-01260-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Most surveys of people who inject drugs (PWID) fail to represent the full population of PWID, because usual recruitment methods do not achieve geographic and sociodemographic diversity. People of color, people residing in rural and/or harm reduction-deprived areas, and people who rarely connect with social services are the least surveyed and understood PWID populations. Online-based recruitment and surveys may better reach these hidden PWID populations than standard venue-based recruitment. As technology use and internet access become more ubiquitous, even for unstably housed populations, research using online-based recruitment and survey techniques are growing in the substance use field. These methods hold promise for obtaining larger and more diverse PWID samples, but there are no standards for using online recruitment and survey administration methods to reach large populations of PWID vulnerable to overdose and other threats. Best practices are needed to maximize data quality, prevent fraudulent responses, and minimize selection biases. The HOME (Harm reduction services Offered through Mail-delivery Expansion) study recruits and enrolls a national, online-recruited, longitudinal cohort of 1233 PWID and follows them for 18 months. Key objectives are to assess prior harm reduction utilization and future uptake of mail-based harm reduction services and retention in these services. We describe our online data collection protocol, including recruitment approaches, detecting fraud, maximizing data quality, and participant retention throughout follow-up. These strategies can inform subsequent large-scale, nationwide efforts that recruit PWID through the internet.</p>","PeriodicalId":12922,"journal":{"name":"Harm Reduction Journal","volume":"22 Suppl 1","pages":"125"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275260/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Farihah Ali, Cayley Russell, Justine Law, Sameer Imtiaz, Juls Budau, Rita Shahin, Laura MacKinnon, Dylan Griffith, Sean Patenaude, Jessica Xavier, Jürgen Rehm
{"title":"Characterizing changes to harm reduction site operations in British Columbia following the implementation of the decriminalization of drugs: Findings from a provincial survey.","authors":"Farihah Ali, Cayley Russell, Justine Law, Sameer Imtiaz, Juls Budau, Rita Shahin, Laura MacKinnon, Dylan Griffith, Sean Patenaude, Jessica Xavier, Jürgen Rehm","doi":"10.1186/s12954-025-01276-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12954-025-01276-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In January 2023, British Columbia (BC), Canada, piloted a three-year decriminalization policy to address the escalating overdose crisis. The policy seeks to reduce stigma and the fear of criminal prosecution, and foster a safer and more supportive environment, encouraging greater utilization of treatment and harm reduction (HR) services among people who use drugs. There are limited data on the operational characteristics of HR sites in BC, which are essential for monitoring how decriminalization may influence service operations and utilization. This study aimed to characterize HR site operations in BC and assess any operational changes following decriminalization.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional, online self-report survey was distributed to HR sites across BC between March and April 2024. The survey was completed by a site representative, and survey questions focused on client demographics and drug use patterns, service uptake and capacity, resource and staffing demands, police activity near sites, and the availability of HR services. Changes pre-and post-decriminalization were analyzed descriptively to identify trends.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 33 HR sites completed the survey. Almost a third (30%) of sites reported an increase in client's post-decriminalization, and 18% indicated plans to expand or modify services to meet the increasing demand. However, challenges related to staffing and resources were highlighted, with 45% of sites reporting increased staffing demands post-decriminalization, and 33% noting changes to resource needs, most of which increased. Five sites reported an increase in annual operating budgets. Nearly half (43%) of sites that experienced police activity around their site reported increased police activity post-decriminalization. Moreover, approximately one-fifth (21%) of sites received formal decriminalization training.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>HR sites have experienced an increase in client engagement post-decriminalization, reporting challenges related to site capacity and funding, and emphasizing the need for additional investments to support and expand HR services. Consideration should be given to needs-based planning and providing decriminalization training to HR staff. Moreover, steps are necessary to address the continued police presence near sites, which may hinder service uptake and perpetuate stigma. Addressing these gaps is critical for improving health system engagement for people who use drugs and achieving the goals of decriminalization.</p>","PeriodicalId":12922,"journal":{"name":"Harm Reduction Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":"122"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275259/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rachel E Gicquelais, Rachel P Chenoweth, Nora Jacobson, Caitlin Conway, Gina M Bryan
{"title":"\"I think that that really could benefit a lonely user:\" perceptions of overdose response hotlines among people who use opioids.","authors":"Rachel E Gicquelais, Rachel P Chenoweth, Nora Jacobson, Caitlin Conway, Gina M Bryan","doi":"10.1186/s12954-025-01283-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12954-025-01283-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Overdose response hotlines, such as the SafeSpot and Never Use Alone phone hotlines and Brave smartphone application, are promising tools to reduce fatal overdose risk among people who use drugs (PWUD). These free and confidential services connect callers to a trained operator who monitors them for adverse reactions during and after drug use. We explored PWUD's perceptions of overdose response hotlines.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>PWUD receiving substance use treatment in a facility in a Midwestern US city were screened for eligibility using the NIDA-Modified ASSIST questionnaire and invited to enroll if they had a moderate or severe substance involvement score for use of street or prescription opioids. Ten participants completed a 30-45-minute in-depth interview focused on overdose prevention, including perceptions and use of overdose response hotlines, in February 2022. Inductive content analysis was used to describe perspectives on overdose response hotlines.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Only 1 of the 10 participants had heard of overdose response hotlines, but most were optimistic about their potential benefits for PWUD. One participant said, \"I believe that if word was out there, people would use it.\" Another stated, \"I would trust it today. I know that there is [sic] people trying to change what's going on in our culture with opiates.\" Participants described several potential barriers to utilization, including distrust, especially in the context of drug-induced paranoia and concerns about being arrested, and the cost of an emergency medical response if an overdose occurred. One participant stated, \"people get paranoid when they're using drugs. And to be like, 'I'm using!' over the phone, that's not too easy.\" Another said, \"If you call 911, the police are coming and if you're using, you're going to jail.\"</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Overdose response hotlines are acceptable and trustworthy fatal overdose prevention tools. However, several barriers may limit their utilization, including distrust, drug-induced paranoia, and the cost and potential consequences should an overdose occur, including arrest or cost of emergency response. Further study of utilization, acceptability, and policy and practical solutions addressing perceived barriers to utilizing these services are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12922,"journal":{"name":"Harm Reduction Journal","volume":"22 1","pages":"124"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275261/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}