The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44816

Zita Lazzarini, JD, MPH, Program in Medical Humanities, Health Law, and Ethics, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Ave. MC-6325, Farmington, CT 06030, 860-679-5494, lazzarini@nso.uchc.edu, Scott Burris, JD, Temple University Law School, 1719 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, Dan abrahamson, JD, Drug Policy Foundation, The Lindesmith Center, 717 Washington Street, Oakland, CA 94607-3924, and Joseph Welsh, JD, MBA, School of Law, Temple University, 1719 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122.

Temple University School of Law, University of Connecticut Health Sciences Center, The Lindesmith Center – Drug Policy Foundation

Issue and Geographic Setting: Drug law and law enforcement practices can interfere with the delivery of harm reduction and other public health interventions to IDUs, and can aggravate the harms of drug use. Effective development of alternative policies requires accessible baseline information about existing laws and practices, and analysis as to their effects. Such data-gathering and analysis have not in the past been systematically conducted in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union.

Project: We are developing a resource network on drug policy and law for the region. The project is recruiting and training corps of legal and harm reduction experts who will use legal research and rapid assessment methodology to create and internet-based resource center on drug policy and related data, including disease trends, law enforcement practices, criminal justice system indicators, and political and social factors. The project is also creating a preliminary policy report on the region including detailed policy profiles for 25 countries.

Outcomes: The presentation will include the preliminary policy report and national profiles, the structure of the policy network, and results of pilot training. We also will present the results of the pilot program data collection and preliminary analysis of data from five countries including; Slovenia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

Learning Objectives:

• List three drug policies and their affect on public health interventions for injection drug users
• Articulate method for assessing drug policy through the use of a rapid assessment technique
• Describe the current status of drug law, injection drug use and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Drug Abuse

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.