Time to Act: A Call for Comprehensive Responses to HIV in People Who Use Drugs

Date:
July 2010
Source:
The Lancet
Author:
Chris Beyrer, Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch, Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Michel Kazatchkine, Michel Sidibe, Steffanie A Strathdee

The published work on HIV in people who use drugs shows that the global burden of HIV infection in this group can be reduced. Concerted action by governments, multilateral organizations, health systems, and individuals could lead to enormous benefits for families, communities, and societies.

The authors of this paper review the evidence and identify synergies between biomedical science, public health, and human rights. Cost-effective interventions, including needle and syringe exchange programs, opioid substitution therapy, and expanded access to HIV treatment and care are supported on public health and human rights grounds; however, only around 10 percent of people who use drugs worldwide are being reached, and far too many are imprisoned for minor off ences or detained without trial.

To change this situation will take commitment, advocacy, and political courage to advance the action agenda. Failure to do so will exacerbate the spread of HIV infection, undermine treatment programs, and continue to expand prison populations with patients in need of care.

The article is available below in English, Chinese, Farsi, French, Japanese, Polish, Russian, and Spanish.

Relevant drug policy publications are almost nonexistent in languages other than English. With the help of leading experts, the Open Society Foundations Global Drug Policy Program is publishing key documents in translation.

Need help downloading a file or playing a clip? Click here.

Time to Act (English)
PDF Document - 644K

Time to Act (Japanese)
PDF Document - 1061K

Time to Act (Polish)
PDF Document - 1559K

Time to Act (Russian)
PDF Document - 1575K

Time to Act (Spanish)
PDF Document - 1567K

Time to Act (Chinese)
PDF Document - 1304K

Time to Act (Farsi)
PDF Document - 461K

Time to Act (French)
PDF Document - 1576K

back to the top of the page
Related Publications & Articles

In Times of Austerity, a Threat to Portugal’s Drug Policies
Alexandra Kirby-Lepesh
February 10, 2012
blog BLOG  
Fiscal austerity measures could threaten the future of Portugal's exemplary harm reduction services. But short-term cost-saving measures could prove costly further down the line.

Drug Decriminalization in the UK: Is There a Disconnect Between Politicians and the Public?
Jonathan Price
February 1, 2012
blog BLOG  
A recent BBC debate challenged the conventional wisdom that the UK public is unequivocally opposed to drug decriminalization and that political support for a more liberal drug policy is untenable.

How Punitive Drug Policy Fuels the HIV Epidemic in Russia
Chelsea Brown
December 1, 2011
blog BLOG  
In the past few years Russia has emerged as a self-proclaimed leader in the fight against HIV. Yet why have rates of HIV infection skyrocketed among that country's own population?

Filling the Gap: Meeting the Needs for Treatment of Substance Users and Treatment Centers
November 2011
Lebanon’s drug policy emphasizes treatment over punishment, yet a gap still exists between the number of users and the treatment services available to them, according to this report.

About  |  Initiatives  |  Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships  |  Resource Center  |  Newsroom  |  Site Map  |  Legal  |  Contact


Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative License.
©2012 Open Society Foundations. Some rights reserved.