Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38581922›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2024

A qualitative study on perceptions and experiences of overdose among people who smoke drugs in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Andrew Ivsins, Matt Bonn, Ryan McNeil, Jade Boyd, Thomas Kerr

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
6.2field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
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

13 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

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  7. Responding to an evolving crisis: Meeting the needs of a growing population who smoke their unregulated substances.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2025
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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

5 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Andrew IvsinsBritish Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Electronic address: andrew.ivsins@bccsu.ubc.ca.
Matt BonnCanadian AIDS Society, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Ryan McNeilGeneral Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Social & Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States.
Jade BoydBritish Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Thomas KerrBritish Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
University of British Columbia · CABritish Columbia Centre on Substance Use · CACanadian AIDS Society · CAYale University · US

Funding

An ethno-epidemiological study of the implementation and effectiveness of an innovative and comprehensive response to the opioid epidemicR01DA044181 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA · PI Thomas Kerr, Ryan McNeil · 2017 to 2026
$4.0M
NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA044181
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSmoking unregulated drugs has increased substantially in British Columbia. Intersecting with the ongoing overdose crisis, drug smoking-related overdose fatalities have correspondingly surged. However, little is known about the experiences of overdose among people who smoke drugs accessing the toxic drug supply. This study explores perceptions and experiences of overdose among people who smoke drugs.

methodsWe conducted interviews with 31 people who smoke drugs. Interviews covered a range of topics including overdose experience. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes related to participant perceptions and experiences of smoking-related overdose.

resultsSome participants perceived smoking drugs to pose lower overdose risk relative to injecting drugs. Participants reported smoking-related overdose experiences, including from underestimating the potency of drugs, the cross-contamination of stimulants with opioids, and responding to smoking-related overdose events.

conclusionsFindings highlight the impact the unpredictable, unregulated, and toxic drug supply is having on people who smoke drugs, both among people who use opioids, and among those who primarily use stimulants. Efforts to address smoking-related overdose could benefit from expanding supervised smoking sites, working with people who use drugs to disseminate accurate knowledge around smoking-related overdose risk, and offering a smokable alternative to the unpredictable drug supply.

Indexed as

Drug OverdoseQualitative ResearchAdultBritish ColumbiaDrug UsersFemaleHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHumansIllicit DrugsMaleMiddle AgedSmokingYoung AdultIllicit Drugs

Identifiers

PMID38581922
PMCPMC11088499
OpenAlexW4393320552

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.