Experiences of stigmatization among people who use drugs in the initial year of British Columbia's drug decriminalization policy: A qualitative study
While decriminalization has the potential to reduce stigma and increase comfort in accessing critical harm reduction and substance use treatment services among people who use drugs, achieving these outcomes requires additional efforts. Public awareness campaigns, targeted anti-stigma education, and broader systemic changes were suggested by participants as essential to address stigmatization in BC. Strengthening these areas could enhance access to and utilization of services, ultimately supporting the broader goals of decriminalization.
Authors
- Farihah Ali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2968-3824)
- Elaine Hyshka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5785-8890)
- Jürgen T. Rehm (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5665-0385)
- Matthew Bonn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6406-0171)
- Geoff Bardwell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3368-7681)
- Cayley Russell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9634-9554)
- Margret Lo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8832-7697)
- Savannah Torres-Salbach (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6144-3580)
- Juls Budau
Institutions
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CA)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- University of Waterloo (CA)
- Universität Hamburg (DE)
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (DE)
- Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes (CA)
- Alberta Health (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Drug Policy
- Published
- 2025-04-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104791
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.13
Funders
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction