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Qualitative Evaluation of the Impact of Decriminalization on People Who Use Drugs (PWUD)


To gain an in-depth understanding of the impacts of the decriminalization policy on people who use drugs (PWUD) in British Columbia, we will undertake a total of four qualitative assessments, spread out over five years. For each assessment, we will seek to recruit a new cohort of participants each time in recognizing the potential for high participant attrition as well as to capture diverse PWUD substance use profiles and patterns. We will ensure that our sample of PWUD are representative of diverse patterns of use, lifestyles, and location.  Recruitment will be facilitated through support from OCRINT’s established connections with relevant health organizations and community-based advocacy groups throughout British Columbia and through the circulation of posters and flyers on social media networks and posted at relevant health service organizations. 

The interview guides will be developed in collaboration with the working group, including PWUD, to ensure the appropriateness and completeness of questions. 

The main indicators we will examine through the qualitative interviews include:

  • Awareness of available community harm reduction and treatment services

  • Accessibility of harm reduction and treatment services

  • Harm reduction and treatment service engagement and retention

  • Stigmatization-related barriers to accessing harm reduction and treatment services 

  • Criminalization-related barriers (e.g., fear of criminalization) to accessing harm reduction and treatment services

  • Interactions between police and PWUD: including experiences with police officers and whether or to what extent they apply harm reduction and anti-stigma approaches 

  • Experiences with seizures, arrests, charges, and criminal records for personal possession, for trafficking, for drug-adjacent crimes, for other more serious crimes (e.g., up-charging or net widening)

  • Overall health and social well-being (e.g., employment, housing, quality of life)

  • Substance use patterns and behaviors (e.g., types of substances used, prices, purity, accessibility, availability, mode of administration/consumption, commonly purchased/carried amounts)

  • Perceptions of the decriminalization policy and its impacts


Publications

Publication

Stable patterns, shifting risks: the impact of British Columbia’s decriminalization and recriminalization policies on drug use behaviours. Ali, F., Mende-Gibson, J., Russell, C., Torres-Salbach, S., Bardwell, G., Bonn, M., Budau, J., Ivsins, A., and Rehm, J.

PublicationPerceptions and experiences with police among people who use drugs in the initial year of British Columbia's decriminalization of illegal drugs policy. Russell,C., Bardwell, G., Bonn, M., Boyd, J., Hyshka, E., Rehm, J, and Ali, F.


Publication

Experiences of stigmatization among people who use drugs in the initial year of British Columbia’s drug decriminalization policy: A qualitative study. Ali, F., Russell, C., Torres-Salbach, S., Lo, M., Bonn, M., Bardwell, G., Budau, J., Hyshka, E., and Rehm, J.


PublicationUnpacking the Effects of Decriminalization: Understanding Drug Use Experience and Risks among Individuals Who Use Drugs in British Columbia. Harm Reduction Journal Ali, F., Russell, C., Lo, M., Bonn, M., Bardwell, G., Boyd, J., Hyshkha, E., Rehm, J.


Publication

“2.5 g, I could do that before noon”: a qualitative study on people who use drugs’ perspectives on the impacts of British Columbia’s decriminalization of illegal drugs threshold limit. Ali, F., Russell, C., Greer, A.,Bonn, M.,.Werb, D., & Rehm, J.


Knowledge Translation



Decriminalization Evaluation: Year 1 “Starting to Brew”: How Decriminalisation Impacts People Using Drugs in Canada


Decriminalization Evaluation: Year 1 Qualitative Interviews with PWUD: Perceptions and Experiences with Police

Decriminalization Evaluation: Year 1 Qualitative Interviews with PWUD: Substance Use and Related Risks

Decriminalization Evaluation: Year 1 Qualitative Interviews with PWUD: Experiences and Perceptions of Stigma