Article
Bardwell, G., Austin, T., Maher, L., & Boyd, J. (2021). Hoots and harm reduction: a qualitative study identifying gaps in overdose prevention among women who smoke drugs. Harm reduction journal, 18(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00479-3
Article Summary
While supervised consumption services have been increasingly more common throughout the United States due to changing policy, smoking and/or inhaling illicit drugs is often prohibited at these sites. The authors of this article also reported that women are frequently underrepresented at supervised consumptions services. The authors used observational and qualitative research methods to examine women’s experiences smoking illicit drugs, including their utilization of a women-only supervised inhalation site. Data from these observations and interviews were coded and analyzed to identify common themes informed by gendered and socio-structural understandings of violence. The authors aimed to understand structural violence given the prevalence of such amongst women who use drugs.
The results of this study indicated that women’s preferences for smoking drugs were often shaped by limited income, inability to inject substances, and perceptions of overdose risk. The authors also noted that participants expressed the need for women-specific services due to experiences of gendered, race-based, and structural violence. The results of this qualitative study led to the authors’ making recommendation for women-specific supervised consumption services to better meet the needs of this population.