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[ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation

Ketamine use and HIV risk: Preliminary results from New York, New Orleans, and Los Angeles

Stephen E. Lankenau, PhD and Bill Sanders, PhD. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168th St., 9th floor, New York, NY 10032, 212-305-5736, sl2056@columbia.edu

Injection drug use is a primary risk factor for exposure to HIV and other infectious diseases. Young injection drug users (IDUs) are an important subpopulation of injectors since research indicates higher rates of HIV risk behavior among this group compared to long-term and older IDUs. While most research on young IDUs focuses on “street drugs,” such as cocaine and heroin, new research indicates that “club drugs,” such as ketamine, are being injected and present a range of risks for exposure to bloodborne pathogens. In this study, ethnographic methods were used to recruit samples of 50 young ketamine injectors from street and club settings in New York, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. Ethnographic interviews focused on syringe source, drug price, mode of administration, sharing behaviors, and polydrug use. Preliminary findings indicate that ketamine was most expensive in New Orleans where youth also had the greatest difficulty accessing sterile injection equipment. Los Angeles youth who initiated injection drug use with ketamine were more likely to transition into injecting other drugs. New York youth were more likely to combine ketamine injection events with other drugs, such as methamphetamine or heroin. Young injectors across all sites commonly shared injection paraphernalia, such as vials or cookers of ketamine. Collectively, these preliminary findings suggest that while ketamine injectors were differentiated by structural factors and behavioral practices in each city, high risk sharing practices were common regardless of context or location.

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