Young sexual and gender minority men's perspectives on drug checking services in Metro Vancouver, Canada: a qualitative study.

Background

Young sexual and gender minority (SGM) men experience disproportionate risk of drug-related harms. Improving access to drug checking services (DCS), where people can receive information about the contents of their illicit drugs, is critical to facilitate safer drug use among this population. However, no research to date has explored their perspectives on DCS.

Objectives

To explore perspectives on DCS among young SGM men in Metro Vancouver, Canada.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 young (ages 18-30) SGM men living in Metro Vancouver in 2018. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded. Themes were identified using inductive-deductive approaches and interpreted by drawing on the Risk Environment Framework.

Results

Two key themes emerged. First, participants generally had limited awareness and experience with DCS. Nevertheless, given concerns over the increasingly toxic drug supply, they perceived benefits to getting their drugs tested, including reducing their risk of overdose. Second, participants identified social (e.g. anti-drug stigma), policy/legal (e.g. drug criminalization), and physical (e.g. lack of services outside of downtown Vancouver) barriers in the current context of DCS. To improve access, participants encouraged the expansion of DCS in community settings (e.g. bars) and through community-based approaches (e.g. integration within community sexual health programming) tailored for young SGM men.

Conclusion

Despite low levels of awareness and experience with DCS, young SGM men demonstrated a strong interest in accessing these services. Efforts to adapt and scale up DCS need to account for the social, policy/legal, and physical contexts that shape the lives of young SGM men.