New syringe acquisition and multi-person use of syringes among illegal drug users.

Objectives: This study reports on characteristics associated with "new" syringes by IDUs in Houston, Texas, where acquisition to sterile syringes is largely limited to pharmacy purchase.

Methods: Data were collected from street-recruited injection drug users in Houston, Texas. "New" syringe use was defined as always injecting with syringes that were obtained brand new from a pharmacy and that were always wrapped in plastic when they were purchased.

Attitudes towards drug legalization among drug users.

Research shows that support for legalization of drugs varies significantly among different sociodemographic and political groups. Yet there is little research examining the degree of support for legalization of drugs among drug users. This paper examines how frequency and type of drug use affect the support for legalization of drugs after adjusting for the effects of political affiliation and sociodemographic characteristics.