NCJ Number
124965
Journal
British Journal of Addiction Volume: 84 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1989) Pages: 1021-1027
Date Published
1989
Length
7 pages
Annotation
By examining persons arrested in Oslo during a certain period, we will try to obtain a better picture of intravenous drug use in Oslo.
Abstract
A pilot project was organized for 3 months during the autumn of 1987. In addition to having their arms examined, the arrestees were asked some questions about their abuse and HIV-testing. The paper presents some data from the pilot period: 35 percent of the arrestees had marks from intravenous drug abuse (almost 2/3 of the females and slightly less than 1/3 of the males); 78 percent of them were men, 22 percent were women; the majority were in the age range 21-35 years; 53 percent stated that they injected opiates, 35 percent that they injected stimulants, and 12 percent that they injected both types. Nearly 80 percent stated that they had been HIV-tested. A larger proportion of users of opiates (88 percent) stated that they had been tested than users of stimulants (66 percent). The prevalence of HIV-seropositive cases among the arrested intravenous abusers was 13.8 percent. In the paper we also discuss methodological aspects of the study. 8 tables, 16 references. (Author abstract)