Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25193720›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2014

Attitudes of North Carolina law enforcement officers toward syringe decriminalization.

Corey S Davis, Jill Johnston, Lisa de Saxe Zerden, Katie Clark, Tessie Castillo, Robert Childs

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Southern African HIV Clinicians Society guidelines for harm reduction.Southern African journal of HIV medicine · 2020
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Occupational Safety in the Age of the Opioid Crisis: Needle Stick Injury among Baltimore Police.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2017
    Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Corey S DavisNetwork for Public Health Law - Southeastern Region, 101 E. Weaver St. #G-7, Carrboro, NC 27510, United States. Electronic address: cdavis@networkforphl.org.
Jill JohnstonUNC Chapel Hill School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, 135 Dauer Dr, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. Electronic address: jillj@unc.edu.
Lisa de Saxe ZerdenUNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work, 325 Pittsboro St. CB#3550, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550, United States. Electronic address: lzerden@unc.edu.
Katie ClarkNorth Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, 1005 Slater Road Suite 330, Durham, NC 27703, United States. Electronic address: Katie.clark@yale.edu.
Tessie CastilloNorth Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, 1005 Slater Road Suite 330, Durham, NC 27703, United States. Electronic address: Tessie@nchrc.net.
Robert ChildsNorth Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, 1005 Slater Road Suite 330, Durham, NC 27703, United States. Electronic address: Robert@nchrc.net.

Funding

Biostatstics for Research in Environmental HealthT32ES007018 · NIEHS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Stephanie Engel, Rebecca Fry · 1985 to 2026
$31.3M
NIEHS NIH HHS T32 ES007018
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNorth Carolina, like much of the U.S. South, is disproportionately affected by HIV and hepatitis. This persistently high disease burden may be driven in part by laws that criminalize the possession and distribution of syringes for illicit drug use. Legal change to decriminalize syringes may reduce infection rates in the state, but is unlikely absent support from law enforcement actors.

methodsWe analyzed the responses of 350 North Carolina law enforcement officers to a confidential, anonymous survey. The survey instrument collected data regarding self-reported needle-stick injury (NSI), blood borne disease risk perception and attitudes toward syringe decriminalization.

results82% of respondents reported that contracting HIV was a "big concern" for them. 3.8% of respondents reported ever receiving a job-related NSI, a rate of 36 NSI per 10,000 officer-years. Majorities of respondents reported positive views regarding syringe decriminalization, with approximately 63% agreeing that it would be "good for the community" and 60% agreeing that it would be "good for law enforcement." Black and female officers were significantly less likely to agree that on-the-job NSI was a "big concern" and significantly more likely to agree that it would be good for law enforcement.

conclusionsThese findings suggest that many North Carolina LEOs understand the public health benefits of syringe access programs and may be inclined to support syringe decriminalization legislation. Further research is indicated to determine the causes of observed differences in perceptions of bloodborne disease risk and attitudes toward syringe decriminalization by race and sex.

Indexed as

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeLaw EnforcementPoliceSyringesAdultAgedCohort StudiesData CollectionFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNorth CarolinaSubstance Abuse, IntravenousYoung AdultHIVInjection drug useLaw enforcementPolicySyringe

Identifiers

PMID25193720
PMCPMC4428167

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.