Virtual 'spotting' could help keep drug users safe during COVID-19, U of T researchers say

While people who use drugs have spotted each other in person for a long time, the study is exploring how it is being used amid COVID-19, Kaminski says.Research team members with lived experience of drug use recruited 30 participants from their personal networks in Nova Scotia and Ontario to take part in the study. The participants reported an increase in their safety and said they appreciated the privacy and stigma-free environment that spotting offered. Spotters, meantime, reported an improved connection with their community and a sense of accomplishment when working with spottees.“

Also, given COVID, they can consume at home instead of coming to the safe injection site,” says Strike.The researchers say such tactics are needed amid reports of a growing number of fatal opioid overdoses in Canada during the pandemic.However, the spotting model isn’t foolproof. For one thing, some spotters fear help may not arrive in time to revive spottees.“

There are also concerns about police intervention if 911 is called, especially among people who use drugs who are racialized,” says Strike, pointing to recent headlines about over-policing and criminalizing of racialized people.

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