University of British Columbia, School of Population and Public Health, Canada; Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Canada.
Int J Drug Policy. 2013 Sep;24(5):449-59. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2013.04.009. Epub 2013 Jun 2.
Policing has profound health implications for people who use illicit drugs. Among Aboriginal communities, distrust of police is common, due partly to legacies of colonial policing. In response to the paucity of research among Aboriginal people who use drugs, this paper aims to: (1) Describe the policing experiences of young Aboriginal people who use drugs; (2) Identify policing activities associated with unsafe injection practices; and (3) Elucidate barriers to positive police relations.
The Cedar Project is a cohort study involving young Aboriginal people in Vancouver and Prince George, British Columbia, who use illicit drugs. This mixed-methods study (N=372) used period prevalence from 2007 to 2010 to describe policing experiences, mixed effects regression models to identify correlates of policing activities, and thematic qualitative analysis to assess attitudes to police relations.
Many participants were stopped by police (73%), experienced physical force by police (28%), had drug equipment confiscated (31%), and changed location of drug use because of police (43%). Participants who reported dealing drugs (40%) were significantly more likely to experience police engagement. Among participants in Prince George, 4% reported to have had non-consensual sex with members of the criminal justice system. Policing activity was significantly associated with syringe sharing, rushed injection, and reused syringe. Due to personal experience, practical concerns, and intergenerational legacies of unfair policing practices, most participants did not want a positive relationship with police (57%). Desire for a positive relationship with police was directly associated with being helped by police, and inversely associated with being stopped by police and experiencing physical force by police.
Policing activities may be impacting the well-being of Aboriginal people who use drugs. Due to focused prosecution of street-level drug dealing, some police may favor enforcement over harm reduction. Positive police engagement and less aggressive policing may enhance perceptions of police among young Aboriginal people who use drugs.
警务工作对使用非法药物的人有深远的健康影响。在原住民社区中，对警察的不信任是很常见的，部分原因是殖民时期的警务遗留问题。针对原住民吸毒者研究不足的问题，本文旨在：(1) 描述年轻原住民吸毒者的警务经历；(2) 确定与不安全注射行为相关的警务活动；(3) 阐明与积极警察关系相关的障碍。
雪松项目是一项涉及不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华和乔治王子市的年轻原住民吸毒者的队列研究。这项混合方法研究（N=372）使用 2007 年至 2010 年的期间患病率来描述警务经历，使用混合效应回归模型来确定警务活动的相关因素，并进行主题定性分析来评估对警察关系的态度。
许多参与者被警察拦下（73%），经历过警察的身体暴力（28%），药物设备被没收（31%），因警察原因改变了用药地点（43%）。报告有贩毒行为的参与者（40%）更有可能与警察接触。在乔治王子市的参与者中，4%报告曾与刑事司法系统成员发生非自愿性行为。警务活动与共用注射器、匆忙注射和重复使用注射器显著相关。由于个人经历、实际问题以及不公平警务做法的代际遗产，大多数参与者并不希望与警察建立积极的关系（57%）。与警察建立积极关系的愿望与被警察帮助直接相关，与被警察拦下和经历身体暴力成反比。
警务活动可能会影响原住民吸毒者的健康。由于对街头贩毒的集中起诉，一些警察可能更倾向于执法而非减少伤害。积极的警察接触和不那么咄咄逼人的警务可能会增强年轻原住民吸毒者对警察的看法。
