Who purchases non-prescription syringes?

Background: Previous attempts to characterize users of pharmacy-based non-prescription syringe sales programs have focused on identifying injection drug users (IDUs) through street outreach or syringe exchange programs (SEPs). By partnering with pharmacies registered with New York State's Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program (ESAP) to sell non-prescription syringes, this represents the first attempt to survey pharmacy customers at their point of purchase.

Methods: Customers purchasing a non-prescription syringe in ESAP–registered pharmacies were asked to complete a self-administered survey in exchange for $10 pharmacy gift card.

Results: Fifty-six customers completed the survey: 79% male, 44% Hispanic, 44% white, 8% African American and 2% Native American. Seventy percent purchased a syringe to inject illicit substances with the remainder purchasing for medical use. Forty-six percent reported getting their syringes from pharmacies most of the time and this did not vary by reason for purchase. Twenty-six percent have ever used a syringe that was used by someone else and 11% have done so in the past month. Nearly half the sample (48%) reported that, most of the time, they disposed of their syringes in an approved (safe) manner.

Conclusions: ESAP, while addressing medical needs, appears to be functioning as an effective harm reduction program. Over two-thirds of respondents reported purchasing to inject illicit substances. Harm reduction efforts such as SEPs have proven effective in reducing the burden of HIV in the IDU population. Pharmacy-based syringe access is essential in areas not served by such programs. Risk behaviors of this sample will also be discussed.