Report: “Why wouldn’t I discriminate against all of them?”

A Report on Stigma and Discrimination towards the Injecting Drug User Community.

This report, created by the Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL), aims to tackle the widespread stigma and discrimination faced by people who inject drugs. In 2009, AIVL funded research to understand how the community and medical professionals view these individuals. The research found that stigma and discrimination are deeply entrenched and often seen as useful for discouraging drug use, even though evidence shows otherwise.

In response, AIVL decided to explore the roots of these attitudes before starting any public education campaign. The report looks into the historical background, especially the Industrial Revolution, which set the stage for the modern stigma against drug users. It considers factors like urbanisation, immigration, the rise of the medical profession, and social and cultural shifts that contributed to this stigma.

The report also discusses the impact of the temperance movement, organised religion, the Opium Wars, and the “war on drugs” on public views. It examines current stigma, its effects on drug users, and how the media, the general community, and medical professionals continue to perpetuate these attitudes.

The goal of the report is to initiate a conversation about changing harmful perceptions and practices towards people who inject drugs and to offer recommendations for promoting real change.