Prevalence of Illicit Drug Detection in 5 US Cities Among Out-of-Treatment People Who Inject Drugs

What is the prevalence of illicit drug detection among people who inject drugs who are not engaged in medical care across 5 US cities?In this cross-sectional study of 444 people who inject drugs, fentanyl was detected among 93%, xylazine among 53%, polysubstance drugs among 95%, and amphetamine among 67%; unhoused and recently incarcerated individuals had higher prevalence of cocaine and stimulant detection, respectively. Amphetamine prevalence increased over time in Washington, DC, and Philadelphia had the highest prevalence of xylazine detection.The findings suggest localized, real-time drug surveillance for out-of-treatment individuals who inject drugs, often missed by traditional public health systems, is needed.

Corresponding Author: Nabila El-Bassel, PhD, School of Social Work, Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027 (ne5@columbia.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.