Outline abstracts or other short descriptions (not exceeding 400 words) are invited for contributions to a forthcoming special issue of The International Journal of Drug Policy on “Women and Harm Reduction: Spanning the Globe.”

Women and Harm Reduction: Spanning the Globe

Guest editors:

Susan Sherman, Adeeba bte Kamarulzaman and Patti Spittal

The issue aims to examine:

Ø       the unique factors (e.g. cultural, relational, legal or economic) that contribute to women's use of psychoactive drugs (licit and illicit);

Ø       the stigma associated with women's drug use;

Ø       proximal and distal effects of drug use on the lives of women drug users as well as drug users’ female sexual partners;

Ø       examine patterns of use and consequences of different types of drugs (e.g. ATS, alcohol, opiates);

Ø       to explore the effects of different types of drugs;

Ø       to examine gender-related policies regarding harm reduction services and treatment; and

Ø       to examine innovative programs targeting women drug users.

The issue aims to include work representing a range of geographic regions (e.g. former Soviet Union, Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe/North America).

Papers must be relevant to harm reduction and policy.

We invite several types of contribution:

• Scientific review papers (max 8,000 words)
• Original research papers (3,000 – 7,000 words)
• Short research reports (up to 1500  words)
• Descriptions of interesting (positive or negative) programmes or policies (2,000 – 5,000 words)
• Descriptions of problems (e.g. structural barriers) in gaining access to needed services or programmes (2,000 – 5,000 words)
• Policies and/or historical analyses (3,000 – 7,000 words)
• Commentaries (max 4,000 words)
• Editorials (1,500 - 2,500 words)

The deadline for outline abstracts is September 23, 2006.

Outline abstracts should be sent to ssherman@jhsph.edu. If selected for submission, the deadline for completion of draft contributions will be in December, 2006.  Submissions will be made on the Elsevier on-line electronic submission system and will be subject to peer-review.

Susan G. Sherman, ssherman@jhsph.edu

Pattricia Spittal, pspittal@cfenet.ubc.ca

Adeeba bte Kamarulzaman , ADEEBA@ummc.edu.my