SynthesisThe lancet. HIV2017
HIV and the criminalisation of drug use among people who inject drugs: a systematic review.
Synthesis in The lancet. HIV, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 113 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
113 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Impact of drug legislation on crime reduction: a systematic literature review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators of HIV partner status notification in low- and lower-middle-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Pooled it
- The Risks for HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Men Who Have Sex with Men Who Engage in Chemsex in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.AIDS and behavior · 2024Pooled it
- The impact of relaxing restrictions on take-home doses during the COVID-19 pandemic on program effectiveness and client experiences in opioid agonist treatment: a mixed methods systematic review.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2023Pooled it
- Impact evaluations of drug decriminalisation and legal regulation on drug use, health and social harms: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2020Pooled it
- Dental caries and periodontal disease among people who use drugs: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC oral health · 2020Pooled it
- Policing Practices and Risk of HIV Infection Among People Who Inject Drugs.Epidemiologic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Global patterns of opioid use and dependence: harms to populations, interventions, and future action.Lancet (London, England) · 2019Pooled it
- A Global Meta-analysis of the Prevalence of HIV, Hepatitis C Virus, and Hepatitis B Virus Among People Who Inject Drugs-Do Gender-Based Differences Vary by Country-Level Indicators?The Journal of infectious diseases · 2019Pooled it
- 'Management of a spoiled identity': systematic review of interventions to address self-stigma among people living with and affected by HIV.BMJ global health · 2019Pooled it
- Incarceration history and risk of HIV and hepatitis C virus acquisition among people who inject drugs: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2018Pooled it
- Municipal police support for harm reduction services in officer-led referrals of people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico.Harm reduction journal · 2021Trial
- Intimate relationships and patterns of drug and sexual risk behaviors among people who inject drugs in Kazakhstan: A latent class analysis.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2018Trial
- Integrating evidence-based methamphetamine interventions into methadone clinics: Structural barriers and implementation opportunities.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Article
- Learning from the Drug Policy Curriculum: People Who Use Drugs Policing in the Context of Decriminalization.Contemporary drug problems · 2026Article
- Willingness to use microbicides among females who use unregulated drugs in Vancouver, Canada.AIDS care · 2026Article
- A Novel Index Measure of Housing-Related Risk as a Predictor of Overdose Among Young People Who Inject Drugs and Injection Networks.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2026Article
- Burden of Injection Drug Use-Related Infection Hospitalizations in Tennessee, 2016-2023.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- An update on bloodborne viruses among people who inject drugs in South Asia.Harm reduction journal · 2026Review
- Notable transmitted HIV drug resistance among people who inject drugs in Pakistan.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2026Article
53 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMounting evidence suggests that laws and policies prohibiting illegal drug use could have a central role in shaping health outcomes among people who inject drugs (PWID). To date, no systematic review has characterised the influence of laws and legal frameworks prohibiting drug use on HIV prevention and treatment.
methodsConsistent with PRISMA guidelines, we did a systematic review of peer-reviewed scientific evidence describing the association between criminalisation of drug use and HIV prevention and treatment-related outcomes among PWID. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, CINAHL, Web of Science, and other sources. To be included in our review, a study had to meet the following eligibility criteria: be published in a peer-reviewed journal or presented as a peer-reviewed abstract at a scientific conference; examine, through any study design, the association between an a-priori set of indicators related to the criminalisation of drugs and HIV prevention or treatment among PWID; provide sufficient details on the methods followed to allow critical assessment of quality; be published or presented between Jan 1, 2006, and Dec 31, 2014; and be published in the English language.
findingsWe identified 106 eligible studies comprising 29 longitudinal, 49 cross-sectional, 22 qualitative, two mixed methods, four mathematical modelling studies, and no randomised controlled trials. 120 criminalisation indicators were identified (range 1-3 per study) and 150 HIV indicators were identified (1-5 per study). The most common criminalisation indicators were incarceration (n=38) and street-level policing (n=39), while the most frequent HIV prevention and treatment indicators were syringe sharing (n=35) and prevalence of HIV infection among PWID (n=28). Among the 106 studies included in this review, 85 (80%) suggested that drug criminalisation has a negative effect on HIV prevention and treatment, 10 (9%) suggested no association, five (5%) suggested a beneficial effect, one (1%) suggested both beneficial and negative effects, and five (5%) suggested both null and negative effects.
interpretationThese data confirm that criminalisation of drug use has a negative effect on HIV prevention and treatment. Our results provide an objective evidence base to support numerous international policy initiatives to reform legal and policy frameworks criminalising drug use.
fundingCanadian Institutes of Health Research and US National Institutes of Health.
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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.