NEEDLE SHARING IN CONTEXT - PATTERNS OF SHARING AMONG MEN AND WOMEN INJECTORS AND HIV RISKS

This paper looks at the social contexts within which needle sharing to ok place among a sample of Glasgow injectors. The intention is to show that needle sharing is rarely random but instead highly patterned and influenced by circumstance and social relationships. Gender can also be seen to have an important influence on sharing patterns. Considerat ion of the reported instances of needle sharing provides some indicati on that women injectors may be at increased risk of HIV transmission r elative to their male counterparts.