Research evidence and reports from service providers who work with people who inject drugs (PWID), demonstrate that many PWID engage in safer drug-related practices (Des Jarlais et al., 2004; Drumm, McBride, Metsch, Neufeld, & Sawatsky, 2005; Jackson et al., 2002; Sirikantraporn, Mateu-Gelabert, Friedman, Sandoval, & Torruella, 2012). For example, some PWID report accessing and using clean drug equipment, not sharing drug equipment, and getting tested for HIV and HCV. This body of research also documents PWID engaging in practices that contribute to the drug-related safety of others, such as distributing clean drug equipment to other PWID, providing health or harm reduction information or referrals to peers, and disposing of needles safely. All of these behaviours have been generally labelled 'safer practices,' and are defined as individual behaviours that decrease one's (and potentially others') risk of personal harm related to drug use (e.g., injury, overdose, acquisition of blood borne pathogens such as HIV and HCV, drug-related infections). Although research has shown that PWID do engage in safer practices, in this viewpoint we suggest that researchers, policy-makers and program decision-makers need to not only constantly promote and reinforce safer practices to ensure their maintenance, but also continuously examine the factors and contexts that promote and support safer practices in order to encourage consistency in safer practices.
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