International Journal of Drug Policy最新文献

{"title":"The impact of a voluntary alcohol and other drug diversion program on reoffending, imprisonment, and health","authors":"Don Weatherburn ,&nbsp;Sara Rahman ,&nbsp;Stephanie Todd ,&nbsp;Suzanne Poynton ,&nbsp;Samantha Black ,&nbsp;Tanya Merinda ,&nbsp;Michael Farrell","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104747","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104747","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The Magistrates Early Referral into Treatment (MERIT) program is a voluntary, pre-plea diversion program for defendants appearing in the New South Wales (NSW), Australia, Local Court who have issues related to their alcohol and other drug (AOD) use.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Matched treatment and comparison groups were created using propensity score matching. The outcomes examined were AOD-related hospital admissions, AOD-related Emergency Department (ED) admissions, ED admissions (general), hospital admission (general), ambulance callouts, AOD related deaths, and deaths from any cause, as well as reoffending and imprisonment. Differences between outcomes were analysed using Cox regression (health outcomes), negative binomial regression (reoffending) and logistic regression (imprisonment).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Survival times for participants in the MERIT program were significantly shorter for all health outcomes except one (death). At the 12-month mark, MERIT participants offended 21 per cent less frequently than comparison group participants (IRR: 0.793. CI: 0.748–0.841). This gap increased to 27 per cent after 24 months (IRR: 0.870. CI: 0.829–0.912). At the conclusion of criminal proceedings participants in the MERIT program were significantly less likely to receive a prison sentence (OR: 0.728. CI: 0.674–0.787) or to die (OR: 0.674. CI: 0.502–0.904)</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The Magistrates’ Early Referral Into Treatment Program appears to be an effective way of reducing the short-term risk of re-offending, imprisonment, and death.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 104747"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143519653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Youth and young adult cannabis research – Critical approaches to advancing the field","authors":"Emily K. Jenkins ,&nbsp;Rod Knight ,&nbsp;Olivier Ferlatte ,&nbsp;Rebecca J. Haines-Saah","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104752","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104752","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 104752"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143519595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Not just fentanyl: Understanding the complexities of the unregulated opioid supply through results from a drug checking service in British Columbia, Canada","authors":"Pablo Gonzalez-Nieto ,&nbsp;Bruce Wallace ,&nbsp;Collin Kielty ,&nbsp;Kayla Gruntman ,&nbsp;Derek Robinson ,&nbsp;Substance Staff ,&nbsp;Jaime Arredondo Sanchez Lira ,&nbsp;Chris Gill ,&nbsp;Dennis Hore","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104751","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104751","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>This study examines illicit opioid samples submitted to a drug checking service in British Columbia, Canada. By employing a method capable of identifying and quantifying compounds at low concentrations, the analysis focused on identifying trends in notable compounds such as fentanyl, its analogues, and benzodiazepines. The findings aim to address gaps in supply monitoring and inform public health and drug policies.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Opioid samples were collected and analyzed over three years using fentanyl and benzodiazepine test strips, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Paper-Spray Mass Spectrometry (PS-MS). PS-MS was employed to conduct trace-level analysis, provide targeted composition results, and quantify notable ingredients within the samples. The concentrations of fentanyl and benzodiazepines, among other components, were examined.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The dataset includes 8122 opioid samples analyzed from January 2021 to December 2023. Analysis revealed that heroin was replaced by fentanyl and its analogues in the opioid supply, as heroin was detected in only 4 % of opioid samples while fentanyl and analogues were detected in 88 %. Fluorofentanyl was found in 70 % of opioid samples, occasionally in combination with fentanyl. Benzodiazepines and their analogues were detected in 49 % of opioid samples, with a notable shift from etizolam to bromazolam. The median fentanyl concentration was 10.6 % (weight/weight), ranging from less than 0.1 % to over 80 %. The median bromazolam concentration was 3.2 %, with a range of less than 0.1 % to over 25 %.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The study highlights the volatility in the supply and mentions the necessity for a safer opioid supply and robust drug checking methodologies to address the challenges posed by the heterogenous market.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 104751"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk environment influences affecting cocaine market expansion within post-conflict Northern Ireland","authors":"Tobias Niblock,&nbsp;Julie Harris","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104760","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104760","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>There is a lack of research examining environmental influences affecting the growth of contemporary cocaine markets in post-conflict societies. This qualitative study addresses this gap by exploring multi-faceted environmental influences affecting cocaine market expansion within the unique transitional setting of Northern Ireland from the perspective of professionals working in diverse settings.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The study employed a critical, qualitative and exploratory research design informed by the risk environment framework. Purposeful and snowball sampling were used to recruit policing, voluntary and community substance use and youth service professionals. Semi-structured (<em>n</em> = 8) and email (<em>n</em> = 2) interviews were conducted and a reflexive thematic data analysis was completed.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Five main themes were identified. The (1) ‘changing political landscape’ within Northern Ireland helped facilitate growing cocaine markets. Coinciding with these structural changes was increased (2) ‘paramilitary involvement and control’ of the cocaine market and increased (3) ‘collaboration with external organised crime groups.’ Subsequently, (4) ‘diversified supply networks’ developed within the context of (5) ‘increased demand’ for cocaine which was linked to differentiated normalisation and the transitional setting of Northern Ireland.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Findings highlight unique environmental influences affecting expanding cocaine markets in ‘post-conflict’ Northern Ireland. A holistic, public health-led, multi-agency and harm reduction approach is needed tackle paramilitary and organised crime coercive social control. Policy makers and service providers should routinely monitor local retail cocaine markets and provide rapid drug testing. Peer-led, trauma-informed harm reduction strategies are needed to mitigate potential cocaine-related harms among people who use drugs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 104760"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Retention and dropout from sublingual and extended-release buprenorphine treatment: A comparative analysis of data from a nationally representative sample of commercially-insured people with opiod use disorder in the United States","authors":"Roman Ivasiy ,&nbsp;Lynn M. Madden ,&nbsp;Kimberly A. Johnson ,&nbsp;Eteri Machavariani ,&nbsp;Bachar Ahmad ,&nbsp;David Oliveros ,&nbsp;Jiale Tan ,&nbsp;Natalie Kil ,&nbsp;Frederick L. Altice","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104748","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104748","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and aims</h3><div>Maintenance on medications for opioid use disorder, particularly buprenorphine, is critical for reducing overdose risk and improving health outcomes in the United States. This study evaluates retention and dropout probabilities between sublingual buprenorphine (SL-BUP) and extended-release buprenorphine (XR-BUP) among commercially-insured individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD).</div></div><div><h3>Design and setting</h3><div>A retrospective cohort study using Meretive™ Markeskan® claims data from 2019 to 2020. A multi-state Markov model assessed transitions between treatment states over 12 months.</div></div><div><h3>Participants</h3><div>The study included 58,933 individuals aged 18–64 years with OUD, initiating SL-BUP (<em>n</em> = 57,520) or XR-BUP (<em>n</em> = 1,413). XR-BUP patients were divided into XR-BUP only (<em>n</em> = 684; 49 %) and XR-BUP with supplemental SL-BUP (XR-BUP+sSL; <em>n</em> = 729; 51 %).</div></div><div><h3>Measurements</h3><div>Primary outcomes included probabilities of remaining in treatment or transitioning between states at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The impact of dosage and days of supply on retention was also examined.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The probability of permanent treatment dropout at 6 months was similar for SL-BUP (38.59 %, 95 % CI: 37.9 %-39.4 %) and XR-BUP (41.3 % 95 %CI: 36.8 %-46.1 %), yet the probability of remaining in treatment was significantly higher for SL-BUP than XR-BUP (49.5 %; 95 %CI: 48.8 %-50.1 % vs. 13.5 % 95 % CI: 10.5 %-16.5 %). The high proportion of individuals initially prescribed XR-BUP later transitioned to SL-BUP. Higher doses and longer days supplied of SL-BUP reduced dropout rates. Among patients receiving ≥16 mg/day and ≥28 days, dropout probabilities were 5.7 % (95 % CI: 5.4 %-6.0 %) at 1 month, 15.4 % (95 % CI: 14.8 %-16.2 %) at 3 months, 28.0 % (95 % CI: 26.9 %-29.2 %) at 6 months, and 47.8 % (95 %CI: 45.2 %-49.5 %) at 12 months. In contrast, patients prescribed &lt;16 mg/day and &lt;28 days had a 46.3 % (95 %CI: 45.0 %-47.6 %) dropout rate by 6 months.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>SL-BUP demonstrates higher retention rates and lower dropout compared to XR-BUP in real-world settings. Optimizing SL-BUP dosing and providing extended supplies can improve retention and reduce treatment discontinuation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 104748"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Policing during a period of drug decriminalization: Experiences of people who use drugs in Oregon, USA","authors":"Danielle Good ,&nbsp;Sarah Shin ,&nbsp;Kyn Kappesser ,&nbsp;Gillian Leichtling ,&nbsp;Morgan Godvin ,&nbsp;Lynn D. Wenger ,&nbsp;Barrot H. Lambdin ,&nbsp;Alex H. Kral","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104745","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104745","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>In November 2020, Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 110 (M110), which decriminalized personal possession of controlled substances and dramatically increased funding for lowering barriers to accessing substance use treatment and expanding supportive services for people who use drugs (PWUD). This study examined how decriminalization affected PWUD's experiences and perceptions of law enforcement practices in Oregon two years after M110 was enacted.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted semi-structured interviews with 32 PWUD across seven Oregon counties from March to November 2023. One-hour interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic approach.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Through analysis of participant narratives of law enforcement encounters and changes in enforcement during decriminalization, we identified four key themes: (1) PWUD experienced unpredictability and perceived backlash in drug-related policing, (2) Unhoused PWUD remained particularly vulnerable despite decriminalization, (3) Mistrust of law enforcement created a barrier to police-mediated services, and (4) Participants expressed hope for improved policing practices, despite their experiences with decriminalization.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>PWUD continued to experience harmful policing practices after M110’s enactment. Successfully transitioning to non-punitive systems requires intentional policy design and implementation that addresses systemic barriers, builds trust, and provides effective pathways to supportive services, including housing support, rather than reverting to criminalization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 104745"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sex-specific trends in patterns of tobacco and nicotine use among young people in Denmark from 2020 to 2023: A multigroup latent class analysis","authors":"Lisbeth Lund,&nbsp;Susan Andersen,&nbsp;Lotus Sofie Bast","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104728","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104728","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Research on tobacco and nicotine use patterns lacks insights into the diverse nature of tobacco and nicotine use across sexes, particularly how use patterns cluster differently over time between males and females. This study examines the changing patterns of tobacco and nicotine use among Danish young people from 2020 to 2023, focusing on sex differences.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Data were collected from five waves of repeated cross-sectional surveys among individuals aged 15–29 (<em>n</em> = 45,473). Multi-group latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to explore differences in tobacco and nicotine use patterns over time and across sexes, using cigarettes, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco (SLT), and hookah as indicators.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Three latent classes were identified for males and females, with slight differences. For males, these classes were 1) Poly-tobacco use (POLY), 2) Daily SLT use and occasional cigarette use, and 3) Never and non-current use. For females, these classes were 1) POLY, 2) SLT and occasional cigarette use, and 3) Never and non-current use. These classes were consistently identified across the five waves, but the item-response probabilities within each class changed, indicating dynamic product use trends. Males demonstrated higher probabilities of daily use of multiple products, while females showed higher probabilities of occasional use. Notably, e-cigarette use and daily SLT use probabilities increased within the POLY class over time, while cigarette use probabilities declined. For example, the probabilities of daily e-cigarette use increased from 0.14 in 2020 to 0.27 in 2023 among males and from 0.11 in 2020 to 0.23 among females. These findings suggest that new nicotine products, particularly e-cigarettes, significantly contribute to the increasing trend of poly-tobacco use.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our study highlights the importance of sex-responsive tobacco control strategies that address males' and females' unique patterns and preferences. Future research should continue to explore these sex differences to inform effective tobacco control policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 104728"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143480542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A scoping review of key domains for youth outcome measurement in alcohol and other drug treatment","authors":"Katinka van de Ven,&nbsp;Suz Stainthorpe,&nbsp;Amanda Davies,&nbsp;Richard Cash,&nbsp;Paula Ross,&nbsp;Nicole Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104744","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104744","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The alcohol and other drug treatment needs of young people differ from adults. It is important that outcomes measured in this client population are meaningful and use tools that are validated among young people. However, there has been no research to date that has looked at which outcomes and tools are most relevant for this population. This scoping review identifies outcome domains for young people that are supported by the research literature and clinical practice frameworks and identifies important evidence gaps. We also assessed which validated tools exists to measure these domains.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>A scoping review of peer reviewed and grey literature was undertaken. Five electronic databases for published papers and eight grey literature databases were searched. Details of studies were extracted in a table and a quality assessment was undertaken on a group level.</div></div><div><h3>Key Findings</h3><div>3688 publications were identified, with 38 meeting inclusion criteria being included in the final review. Overall, the quality of the evidence was satisfactory to good, except for the level of evidence component. Twelve outcome domains and 47 outcome tools were identified.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion and Conclusions</h3><div>Alcohol and other drug use, peers and social networks, mental health and wellbeing and family were identified as most relevant for young people in treatment. Although many outcome tools were identified, none of the identified tools completely meet the needs of clinicians and young people in alcohol and other drug treatment (for example, too long or do not capture all domains).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 104744"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143480537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reprint of: Monitoring HIV, HCV and HBV among people who use drugs in France. A reflective feed-back on a 25-year experiment based on mixed methods. The ANRS-Coquelicot survey.","authors":"Marie Jauffret-Roustide","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104727","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104727","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ANRS-Coquelicot survey has been carried out in France for 25 years, to monitor trends in infectious diseases (HIV and hepatitis B and C) among people who use drugs. In this article, we propose to open the black box of this monitoring experience, by describing and analysing some methodological, ethical and political issues involved in this type of survey. The ANRS-Coquelicot survey has carried out on five occasions in France (from 2002 to 2023) in several cities (from 1 to 27) among people who use drugs recruited in a large diversity of services including drug treatment centres, harm reduction facilities, residential services as well as outreach teams. The survey design included a Time Location Sampling combined with the Generalized Weight Share Method and was guided by a previous anthropological survey. Over time, some methodological challenges have been addressed such as convincing harm reduction providers and drug treatment professionals to welcome this sero-prevalence survey that was first envisioned as a form social control of people who use drugs as well as an evaluation of their professional practices. The implementation of a previous socio-anthropological phase played a major role in favouring the acceptability of the survey as well as in the improvement of the quantitative methodology for choosing the most adequate methodological tools for measuring risk exposure as well as allowing participants room to promote their experiences of the survey through self-narration. Conducting sero-prevalence surveys among time is a way to produce scientific knowledge but can also inform drug policies in order to enable more favourable environments for people who use drugs. This article is an opportunity to show the richness of surveillance surveys and how they can both produce new knowledge and be the subject of innovative methodological developments, as well as enabling the evaluation and orientation of harm reduction policies over time.</p>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":" ","pages":"104727"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143473357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alcohol and legitimate victimhood: Analysing Reddit posts to understand perceptions of alcohol's role in drink spiking and sexual violence","authors":"Gabriel Caluzzi ,&nbsp;Ingrid M. Wilson ,&nbsp;Benjamin Riordan ,&nbsp;Leesa Hooker ,&nbsp;Erin Santamaria ,&nbsp;Jessica Ison","doi":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104743","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104743","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Drink spiking has gained attention in the media but remains under-researched, particularly in the context of gendered power dynamics and sexual violence. Moreover, little is known about the role of alcohol and the discourses individuals draw on when making sense of their victimisation, including how experiences are linked to notions of masculinity, femininity, stigma, embodiment and other social discourses.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analysed 91 Reddit threads related to drink spiking using several search terms (“date rape*”, “roofie*”, “drug*”, and “drink spik*”), collecting 14,284 comments. Using a constructivist and critical feminist approach, we thematically analysed personal accounts mentioning alcohol to explore discourses and understandings of alcohol's role in drink spiking and sexual violence.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Our analysis revealed an overarching discourse around alcohol's role in both validating and undermining legitimacy of victims. Victims did boundary work with alcohol and intoxication to add credibility to their accounts, drew on embodied knowledge to make sense of their experience, and faced scepticism from personal networks and service providers. Gendered discourses framed women as inherently vulnerable and men as less susceptible, shaping victims' accounts and the perception of their legitimacy.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study highlights how gendered expectations and societal attitudes toward alcohol consumption reinforce victim-blaming and undermine the credibility of drink spiking victims. Addressing these structural inequities requires shifting the focus from victims’ behaviour to perpetrators and systemic failures. We recommend re-imagining alcohol's role in drink spiking, facilitating sexual violence and denying victims’ legitimacy, and interventions that go beyond restrictive notions of femininity and masculinity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48364,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Drug Policy","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 104743"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143454925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}