Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Feb 23:6:4.
doi: 10.1186/1747-597X-6-4.

Public crack cocaine smoking and willingness to use a supervised inhalation facility: implications for street disorder

Kora DeBeck  1 , Jane Buxton, Thomas Kerr, Jiezhi Qi, Julio Montaner, Evan Wood
Affiliations

Public crack cocaine smoking and willingness to use a supervised inhalation facility: implications for street disorder

Kora DeBeck et al. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. .

Abstract

Background: The health risks of crack cocaine smoking in public settings have not been well described. We sought to identify factors associated with public crack smoking, and assess the potential for a supervised inhalation facility to reduce engagement in this behavior, in a setting planning to evaluate a medically supervised crack cocaine smoking facility.

Methods: Data for this study were derived from a Canadian prospective cohort of injection drug users. Using multivariate logistic regression we identified factors associated with smoking crack cocaine in public areas. Among public crack smokers we then identified factors associated with willingness to use a supervised inhalation facility.

Results: Among our sample of 623 people who reported crack smoking, 61% reported recently using in public locations. In multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with public crack smoking included: daily crack cocaine smoking; daily heroin injection; having encounters with police; and engaging in drug dealing. In sub analysis, 71% of public crack smokers reported willingness to use a supervised inhalation facility. Factors independently associated with willingness include: female gender, engaging in risky pipe sharing; and having encounters with police.

Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of public crack smoking locally, and this behavior was independently associated with encounters with police. However, a majority of public crack smokers reported being willing to use a supervised inhalation facility, and individuals who had recent encounters with police were more likely to report willingness. These findings suggest that supervised inhalation facilities offer potential to reduce street-disorder and reduce encounters with police.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Navarro C, Leonard L. Prevalence and factors related to public injecting in Ottawa, Canada: implications for the development of a trial safer injecting facility. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2004;15(4):275–284. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2004.03.003. - DOI
    1. Cusick L, Kimber J. Public perceptions of public drug use in four UK urban sites. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2007;18(1):10–17. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2006.12.017. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Weisburd D, Mazerolle LG. Crime and Disorder in Drug Hot Spots: Implications for Theory and Practice in Policing. Police Quarterly. 2000;3(3):331. doi: 10.1177/1098611100003003006. - DOI
    1. DeBeck K, Small W, Wood E, Li K, Montaner J, Kerr T. Public injecting among a cohort of injecting drug users in Vancouver, Canada. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2009;63(1):81–86. doi: 10.1136/jech.2007.069013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Green T, Hankins C, Palmer D, Boivin J, Platt R. Ascertaining the need for a supervised injecting facility (SIF): the burden of public injecting in Montreal, Canada. J Drug Iss. 2003;33(3):713.

Publication types

MeSH terms