Alyona Mazhnaya, Martha J Bojko, Ruthanne Marcus, Sergii Filippovych, Zahedsul Islam, Sergey Dvoriak, Frederick L Altice
AIMS: To understand how perceived law enforcement policies and practices contribute to the low rates of utilization of opioid agonist therapies (OAT) among people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Ukraine. METHODS: Qualitative data from 25 focus groups (FGs) with 199 opioid-dependent PWIDs in Ukraine examined domains related to lived or learned experiences with OAT, police, arrest, incarceration, and criminal activity were analyzed using grounded theory principles. FINDINGS: Most participants were male (66%), in their late 30s, and previously incarcerated (85%) mainly for drug-related activities...
2016: Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy