ArticlePloS one2015
Stigma and Human Rights Abuses against People Who Inject Drugs in Russia--A Qualitative Investigation to Inform Policy and Public Health Strategies.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of drug legislation on crime reduction: a systematic literature review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Incarceration history, antiretroviral therapy, and stigma: A cross-sectional study of people with HIV who inject drugs in St. Petersburg, Russia.The International journal on drug policy · 2023Trial
- The impact of restricted community accessibility on needle and syringe sharing among drug users in Baise city: based on the event study method.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Stigma and other correlates of sharing injection equipment among people with HIV in St. Petersburg, Russia.Global public health · 2024Article
- Provider-patient experiences and HIV care utilization among people living with HIV who inject drugs in St. Petersburg, Russia.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2023Article
- The urgent need for opioid agonist treatment in Russia.The lancet. HIV · 2023Article
- Food Insecurity and Transmission Risks Among People with HIV Who Use Substances.AIDS and behavior · 2023Article
- The overdose epidemic: a study protocol to determine whether people who use drugs can influence or shape public opinion via mass media.Health & justice · 2022Article
- Supporting the Health of HIV-Positive People Who Inject Drugs During COVID-19 and Beyond: Lessons for the United States from St. Petersburg, Russia.American journal of public health · 2022Article
- Article
- Addressing intersectional stigma as a care barrier for HIV-positive people who inject drugs: Design of an RCT in St. Petersburg, Russia.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2021Article
- Linking HIV-positive people in addiction care to HIV services in St. Petersburg, Russia - Mixed-methods implementation study of strengths-based case management.Global public health · 2021Article
- TB stigma and its correlates among HIV-positive people who inject drugs in Ukraine.The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease · 2021Article
- Violence, HIV Risks, and Polysubstance Use Among HIV-Positive People Who Inject Drugs in Ukraine.AIDS and behavior · 2021Article
- Implementation of a Mobile Health Strategy to Improve Linkage to and Engagement with HIV Care for People Living with HIV, Tuberculosis, and Substance Use in Irkutsk, Siberia.AIDS patient care and STDs · 2021Article
- Harm reduction via online platforms for people who use drugs in Russia: a qualitative analysis of web outreach work.Harm reduction journal · 2020Article
- Harm reduction via online platforms for people who use drugs in Russia: A qualitative analysis of web outreach work.Research square · 2020Article
- Stigma and quality of co-located care for HIV-positive people in addiction treatment in Ukraine: a cross-sectional study.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2020Article
- Sexual Exploitation as a Minor, Violence, and HIV/STI Risk among Women Trading Sex in St. Petersburg and Orenburg, Russia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Police violence among people who inject drugs in Baltimore, Maryland.The International journal on drug policy · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionDrug policing practices in the Russian Federation (Russia) are often punitive and have been shown to be associated with HIV risk behaviors among people who inject drugs (PWID). Less is known about strategies to address the problem in that setting, where substance use stigma is highly persistent. A better understanding of forms, causes and consequences of drug policing in Russia could inform drug policy in a context of substantial policy resistance. This qualitative study's goal is to characterize the phenomenon of police involvement with Russian PWID and to explore strategies for drug policing in the Russian country context.
methodsUsing a semi-structured interview guide, we collected data from a purposive sample of 23 key informants including PWID, police officers, and experts from civil society and international organizations in Russia. We used a thematic analysis approach to inductively generate new insight into the phenomenon of police involvement and potential strategies to address it.
resultsPolicing practices involving PWID include unjustified arrests, planting of false evidence and extrajudicial syringe confiscations, and often constitute human rights violations. Russian PWID personally experienced police violence as ubiquitous, taking on various forms such as beating, unjustified arrests, verbal harassment, and coercion. The persistent societal stigma dehumanizes PWID, and such stigmatization facilitates police abuse. To address stigma and overcome the PWID-police adversity, study participants suggested fostering a mutual understanding between the police and public health sectors.
conclusionsParticipants describe substantial human rights violations as part of policing illicit drug use in Russia. Police should include principles of effective prevention of substance use and HIV risk reduction in their trainings. Alignment of public safety and public health goals could address drug use-related risks and HIV prevention among key populations in Russia.
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Registered trials
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.