Development, dissemination and community response towards the first community notice regarding misrepresented illicit anabolic‐androgenic steroids in circulation in Australia.

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Title: Development, dissemination and community response towards the first community notice regarding misrepresented illicit anabolic‐androgenic steroids in circulation in Australia.
Authors: Piatkowski, Timothy (AUTHOR), Volpe, Isabelle (AUTHOR), Brien, Rita (AUTHOR), Coomber, Ross (AUTHOR), Barratt, Monica (AUTHOR), Kill, Emma (AUTHOR), Davey, Geoff (AUTHOR), Francis, Cameron (AUTHOR), Cresswell, Sarah (AUTHOR), White, Alan (AUTHOR), Harding, Madeline (AUTHOR), Blakey, Karen (AUTHOR), Reeve, Steph (AUTHOR), Walters, Brooke (AUTHOR), Ferris, Jason (AUTHOR), Puljević, Cheneal (AUTHOR)
Source: Drug & Alcohol Review. Mar2025, Vol. 44 Issue 3, p735-741. 7p.
Subjects: Anabolic steroids, Harm reduction, Drugs of abuse, Health planning, Community involvement, Drug analysis
Geographic Terms: Australia
Abstract: Introduction: Drug alerts aimed at both people who use drugs and health workers help to prevent acute harms from unpredictable illicit drug markets and by equipping health workers to handle unusual drug events and share vital information with service users. However, there has never been an alert produced for anabolic‐androgenic steroids (AAS), an important class of illicit drugs. We report on the development, implementation and community receptivity of the first‐ever AAS community drug alert. Methods: Based on findings from samples collected during the first month of an AAS checking trial conducted by drug checking service CheQpoint, we identified contamination in two oxandrolone samples, which prompted issuing of the first‐ever AAS community notice. Drawing on digital ethnographic techniques, we collected and analysed social media comments on the notice to assess AAS community perceptions and the broader impact of this harm reduction initiative. Results: The Instagram post by CheQpoint reached 1376 users, with 3429 impressions and 87 interactions. Community feedback indicated receptivity to the notice, with several people in the community recognising the prevalence of AAS adulteration. Responses highlighted the need for more thorough testing and indication of sample content, given the perception of a growing number of new people using AAS. Discussion and Conclusions: This study, the first to describe a community notice for illicit market AAS, reveals a strong demand for harm reduction interventions. We call for the urgent expansion of drug‐checking services to provision for AAS and, thus, provide equitable health support to address systemic gaps for this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Drug & Alcohol Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Development, dissemination and community response towards the first community notice regarding misrepresented illicit anabolic‐androgenic steroids in circulation in Australia.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Piatkowski%2C+Timothy%22">Piatkowski, Timothy</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Volpe%2C+Isabelle%22">Volpe, Isabelle</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brien%2C+Rita%22">Brien, Rita</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Coomber%2C+Ross%22">Coomber, Ross</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Barratt%2C+Monica%22">Barratt, Monica</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kill%2C+Emma%22">Kill, Emma</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Davey%2C+Geoff%22">Davey, Geoff</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Francis%2C+Cameron%22">Francis, Cameron</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cresswell%2C+Sarah%22">Cresswell, Sarah</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22White%2C+Alan%22">White, Alan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Harding%2C+Madeline%22">Harding, Madeline</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Blakey%2C+Karen%22">Blakey, Karen</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Reeve%2C+Steph%22">Reeve, Steph</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Walters%2C+Brooke%22">Walters, Brooke</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ferris%2C+Jason%22">Ferris, Jason</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Puljević%2C+Cheneal%22">Puljević, Cheneal</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Drug+%26+Alcohol+Review%22">Drug & Alcohol Review</searchLink>. Mar2025, Vol. 44 Issue 3, p735-741. 7p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anabolic+steroids%22">Anabolic steroids</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Harm+reduction%22">Harm reduction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drugs+of+abuse%22">Drugs of abuse</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Health+planning%22">Health planning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+involvement%22">Community involvement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drug+analysis%22">Drug analysis</searchLink>
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  Data: Introduction: Drug alerts aimed at both people who use drugs and health workers help to prevent acute harms from unpredictable illicit drug markets and by equipping health workers to handle unusual drug events and share vital information with service users. However, there has never been an alert produced for anabolic‐androgenic steroids (AAS), an important class of illicit drugs. We report on the development, implementation and community receptivity of the first‐ever AAS community drug alert. Methods: Based on findings from samples collected during the first month of an AAS checking trial conducted by drug checking service CheQpoint, we identified contamination in two oxandrolone samples, which prompted issuing of the first‐ever AAS community notice. Drawing on digital ethnographic techniques, we collected and analysed social media comments on the notice to assess AAS community perceptions and the broader impact of this harm reduction initiative. Results: The Instagram post by CheQpoint reached 1376 users, with 3429 impressions and 87 interactions. Community feedback indicated receptivity to the notice, with several people in the community recognising the prevalence of AAS adulteration. Responses highlighted the need for more thorough testing and indication of sample content, given the perception of a growing number of new people using AAS. Discussion and Conclusions: This study, the first to describe a community notice for illicit market AAS, reveals a strong demand for harm reduction interventions. We call for the urgent expansion of drug‐checking services to provision for AAS and, thus, provide equitable health support to address systemic gaps for this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Drug & Alcohol Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1111/dar.14015
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Anabolic steroids
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      – SubjectFull: Australia
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