182282 Pharmacies augment syringe access to San Francisco's IDUs two years after SB1159

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 3:18 PM

Elise D. Riley, PhD , Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Alex Kral, PhD , Urban Health Program, RTI International, San Francisco, CA
Richard S. Garfein, PhD, MPH , Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Thomas Stopka, MHS , HIV Prevention Research and Evaluation Section, California Department of Health Services, Office of AIDS, Sacramento, CA
Lynn D. Wenger, MPH, MSW , Urban Health Program, RTI International, San Francisco, CA
Ricky N. Bluthenthal, PhD , Department of Preventive Medicine Institute for Prevention Research Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA
OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of pharmacy use in obtaining syringes among injection drug users (IDUs) two years after implementation of California's State Bill 1159, which legalized syringe sales to IDUs through pharmacies.

METHODS: In July 2007 and January 2008, two independent samples of IDUs were recruited through street outreach in San Francisco and asked about recent syringe acquisition.

RESULTS: Both samples (N=105 and N=55) included high proportions of men (67% and 80%) and people of color (48% and 64%). The most common syringe source for both samples was a syringe exchange program (SEP) (80% and 87%), with pharmacies being accessed by less than 40% of each population (39% and 21%). Overall, the most commonly cited source of disposal was a SEP (65%), with very few respondents disposing syringes at pharmacies (2% and 0%).

CONCLUSIONS: Two years after the initiation of SB1159, SEPs still provide the majority of syringe distribution and disposal services to San Francisco IDUs. However, pharmacies now augment syringe access. Pharmacies are not a main source of disposal, rather IDUs are opting to exchange used syringes at SEPs. Developing bridges between pharmacies and SEPs may further reduce syringe-related risk in areas with both services.

Learning Objectives:
1. To determine the proportion of injection drug users who access pharmacies to obtain syringes in a legal environment. 2. To discuss the implications of California Senate Bill 1159 and its potential to reduce HIV risk.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Drug Use

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I contributed to the study design, supervised data collection, analyzed data and wrote the first abstract draft.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Making HIV Policy Change Real: The Case of Non-Prescription Pharmacy Sales to Prevent HIV among Injection Drug Users in California: 2005-2007
See more of: HIV/AIDS