The introduction of fentanyl on the US-Mexico border: An ethnographic account triangulated with drug checking data from Tijuana.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Illicitly-manufactured fentanyls (fentanyl) have changed the risk environment of people who use drugs (PWUD). In California and many western US states, the opioid overdose rate spiked from 2016 to 2021, driven largely by fentanyl. Mexican border cities act as transit through-points for the illicit drug supply and similar evolving health risks are likely to be present. Nevertheless, due to data gaps in surveillance infrastructure, little is known about fentanyl prevalence in Mexico.

Methods

We employ intensive ethnographic participant-observation among PWUD, as well as key informants including harm reduction professionals, EMTs, and physicians on the front lines in Tijuana, Mexico. We triangulate interview data and direct observations of consumption practices with

SUBMITTER: Friedman J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9169560 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature