National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Drug Alcohol Rev. 2013 Sep;32(5):483-8. doi: 10.1111/dar.12050. Epub 2013 May 6.
The study aimed to determine injecting drug users' (IDU) attitudes, and correlates of attitudes, towards continued prohibition, decriminalisation or legalisation of the major illicit drugs.
This study used structured interview with 300 IDUs who had injected on at least a weekly basis over the preceding 12 months.
Methamphetamine was rated the most harmful of the five illicit substances and cannabis the lowest. By far the highest level of support for legislative change was for cannabis, with only 8.7% supporting continued prohibition. While there was majority support for change to the legal status of heroin, the modal position was for decriminalisation. Support for changing the status of the three illicit psychostimulants was low, with the majority believing that methamphetamine (63.3%), cocaine (53.3%) and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (53.3%) should remain illegal. Demographic characteristics were largely unrelated to attitudes. Lower levels of perceived harm were associated with increased likelihood of support for legalisation of all substances. Recent use was positively related to support for both decriminalisation and legality of heroin, but was not associated with views on other substances. Higher lifetime polydrug use was associated with support for the legalisation of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine.
IDUs expressed nuanced views on different substances. In policy debates, care should be taken not to speak for IDUs by imputing their beliefs. It is clear that the fact that a group uses illegal drugs does not necessarily imply that they support changes to their legal status.
本研究旨在确定注射吸毒者（IDU）对主要非法药物继续禁止、非刑罪化或合法化的态度，以及影响这些态度的因素。
本研究采用结构访谈的方式，对 300 名在过去 12 个月中每周至少注射一次的 IDU 进行了调查。
冰毒被评为五种非法物质中最有害的物质，而大麻则被评为最无害的物质。对立法改革的支持率最高的是大麻，只有 8.7%的人支持继续禁止。虽然大多数人支持改变海洛因的法律地位，但最常见的立场是将其非刑罪化。对改变三种非法兴奋剂的法律地位的支持率较低，大多数人认为甲基苯丙胺（63.3%）、可卡因（53.3%）和 3,4-亚甲二氧基-N-甲基苯丙胺（53.3%）应继续被视为非法药物。人口统计学特征与态度基本无关。感知到的危害程度越低，对所有物质合法化的可能性就越大。近期使用与对海洛因非刑罪化和合法化的支持呈正相关，但与对其他物质的看法无关。终身多药使用与对海洛因、甲基苯丙胺、可卡因和 3,4-亚甲二氧基-N-甲基苯丙胺合法化的支持有关。
IDU 对不同物质表达了细致入微的看法。在政策辩论中，不应通过推断他们的信仰来代表 IDU。很明显，一个群体使用非法药物并不一定意味着他们支持改变其法律地位。
