 | ‘Ice’ in Ho Chi Minh City | How many people use ice in Ho Chi Minh City? And how many people experience problems with their health, the law or with their families as a result of their use? Mainline went to Vietnam to discover the facts.
Plans for an assessment were initiated by the local organisation SCDI, finding that many of their clients were using crystal methamphetamine – locally referred to as ‘Ice’. This was the case for clients who earn their living with sex work and for people in the methadone programme. Mainline’s educated guess is that ice is popular among many additional groups in Vietnam.
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 | Harm reduction for stimulant users: eight best practices across the world | Mainline is well underway with the second phase of our research on harm reduction for people who use ‘uppers’ (stimulant drugs). The map shows the different locations where this study brings us. Click here to learn more about this exciting research. | |
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 | Life after prison: the return to society in Georgia | Rehabilitation for prisoners in Georgia meets many challenges: there is a limited budget and high societal stigma against prisoners. The prison system finds itself in transition from being highly influenced by Soviet times to a system that meets European standards. With the support of the European Commission, the social reintegration of prisoners in Georgia is being improved. | |
|  | Mainline @ the European Chemsex Forum | Chemsex is defined by the use of specific drugs – ‘chems’ – in a sexual context. For most gay men, chemsex is something to enjoy on occasion. But for a small group, chemsex becomes problematic: substance use can spin out of control and sexuality becomes strongly linked with a specific scene. Health care providers across Europe struggle to offer the appropriate support to these men. | |
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 | Mainline’s Sober Facts on how to legislate recreational cannabis | The Dutch will finally take the next step in their cannabis policy: it was high time! The new cabinet agreed to allow ten municipalities in the country to design ‘experiments’ to regulate the production, sales and use of cannabis. What can the Netherlands learn from experiences in other areas, such as Uruguay and Colorado in the United States? This interesting thesis by Celine Leemhuis, systematically analyses how we can prevent Big Cannabis from taking over the market and how to ensure healthy and smart policy choices. | |
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 | Multi-country study on harm reduction and community involvement | On 25 and 26 March, researchers from King’s College London, Mainline, INPUD, and AFEW organised a two-day workshop for a ground-breaking study into community involvement. The kick-off meeting took place in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, and brought together people from the local communities of people who use drugs (PWUD) and researchers from Indonesia, South Africa, and Kyrgyzstan. | |
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 | Harm reduction for people who use crack: a best practice from Brazil | One of the special services ‘Programa Atitude’ in Recife, Brazil has is a temporary house for women and female transgender people who use drugs. For more than 90% of clients, crack cocaine is their primary drug of choice. The people in the programme are threatened by violence and/or are mothers (to be). Kids up to 2 years can live with their mothers in this house. The programme team works on strengthening self-care, mother-child bond, family links and autonomy. While in the project, many start doing informal jobs – cleaning, selling food and drinks – to get some money. | |
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