Economic perspectives on injecting drug use.

Injecting drug use (IDU) has traditionally been seen as a law enforcement problem and a stain on society. With the emergence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), however, the discourse on IDU has widened to include crucial public health and human rights concerns. Economic analysis, too, has much to contribute to the policy debate. By examining the costs and benefits of drug use from the perspective of injecting drug users, economic analysis can shed light on the problem of IDU and the transmission of HIV among users. This chapter also presents new results on the economic analysis of needle exchange programmes.