The project aims to identify the impact of laws and regulations in the United States that allow and/or restrict harm reduction interventions, including syringe exchange programs (SEPs) and naloxone delivery on public health outcomes among injecting drug users (IDUs).
Methods will include a review of state and local laws pertaining to SEPs, non-prescription sale of syringes, and naloxone delivery as well as a review of harm reduction programs, including, size, reach, and their scope of services. State laws and local regulations have a significant impact on the availability of sterile injecting equipment, thus influencing HIV and HCV spread among IDUs. Similarly, the accessibility of medicines to reverse or prevent lethal overdose is also controlled by legal statutes.