A Cultural Impact of Needle Exchange: The Role of Safer-Injection Mentors

We examine one way in which needle-exchange services in the San Francisco Bay Area have affected needle-sharing and sexual-risk behaviors for injection drug users. We interviewed, qualitatively and quantitatively, 244 participants. Our analysis focuses on comparisons in HIV/AIDS-risk behaviors for a subcategory of “new” injectors: those initiating after the introduction of needle-exchange services in 1988 (n=57). We found that some new injectors benefited from the presence of “safer-injection mentors.” That is, those with someone to teach them harm reduction from their initiation of injection drug use were somewhat more likely to report safer injection practices at the time of interview. We also found that the mentoring process included sharing of information about needle-exchange services. Our results point to evidence of the effectiveness of needle-exchange services in contributing to a culture of harm reduction for injection drug users.