“Basically every safety protocol we have in place to protect against overdose, parents can't access”: Mothers who use unregulated drugs’ experiences of dual public health emergencies

International Journal of Drug Policy, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 137, P. 104719 - 104719

Published: Jan. 29, 2025

A growing body of research details the impacts COVID-19 pandemic-related public health directives and service disruptions on people who use unregulated drugs, however, there is limited gendered impacts, particularly among mothers. To explore experiences navigating pandemic during a toxic drug crisis, phone-based semi-structured interviews were conducted from May 2020-Sept. 2021 with 45 women drugs in British Columbia. Iterative-based thematic analysis informed by intersectional theory identified unaccounted for parents. Respondents' involved contending an increasingly supply alongside reduced resources, including reductions closures access to harm reduction supplies context already marked women's marginalization within treatment policy. Mothers described increased custody care barriers burdens, resulting inability prioritize self-care. Decisions associated risks either or toxicity, given conflicting guidelines, experienced as high stakes mothers, due their unique vulnerability institutional scrutiny. Pandemic-informed overdose risk mitigations, such legal pharmaceutical-grade alternatives supply, also additional mothers (e.g., heightened monitoring; child apprehension), thus, some respondents, responsibilized childcare, resourcefully relied upon informal, social networks help mitigate potential harms. While are heterogeneous, distinctions impact provision experience care, supports. must navigate responsibilities, exacerbated barriers, while simultaneously inhabiting unremitting state fear punitive measures postapprehension despair. The continued exclusion propelled moralizing discourses framing them deviant consequentially undeserving, can have devastating (on individuals communities) yet remain underaddressed.

Language: Английский

‘It just doesn't stop’: Perspectives of women who use drugs on increased overdoses during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Drug and Alcohol Review, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Dec. 19, 2024

In Canada, the COVID-19 pandemic collided with an ongoing overdose crisis driven by a toxic unregulated drug supply. Public health guidance intended to limit transmission of (e.g., social distancing) directly contradicted responding never use drugs alone), exacerbating harms among people reliant on While existing literature characterises many associated consuming during COVID-19, less is known about specific impacts women. We explored perspectives women who and experienced socio-economic marginalisation how environment shaped their risk in British Columbia, Canada.

Language: Английский