health risks among people who inject drugs and communities, people
need to promote SSPs and SIS’s. Both SSPs and SIS’s serve as effective
approaches to reduce drug-related harm. Furthermore, these programs
may contribute to data collection about various infectious diseases in the
PWID population – data which can serve as an important reference for
disease prevention policies.
According to the CDC (2020e), 44 states in the U.S. have suggested
establishing SSPs to reduce drug-related harm, but in several of those
states, SSPs are still not allowed by law. The implementation of an SIS
in Philadelphia has moved its first step, but there is still a long way to go
to gain more support. Therefore, in order to promote SSPs and SIS’s,
more effort is needed. When agencies or organizations are planning to
establish SSPs or SIS’s, they should consider the location, the density of
PWID, the facility size, and the community support. Meanwhile,
strategies to increase the public awareness about SSPs and SIS’s and
decrease the stigma on PWID need to be further explored.
Implementation of SSPs and SISs are not the final goal, but for the
moment, they probably are the advisable solutions to reduce drug-related
harm as much as they can. To achieve the long-term goal, solving the
opioid crisis from the root, drug misuse prevention needs to be
considered, since it can prevent the population of PWID from increasing
and thus directly cut all potential health risks and protect public health.