Xylazine and HIV in the Era of Synthetic Street Drugs

Presenter: Fernando Montero, PhD

Online CME Credit

Fee: Free

Provides 1.00 hours of CE/CME credit (Presented: January 17, 2024; Reviewed February 14, 2024; Expires February 14, 2026)

Overview

The Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center-Nevada, in partnership with the Opioid Response Network, presents a virtual training program that will review the history of US street drug markets since the early 1990s to explain the emergence of xylazine, fentanyl, and crystal methamphetamine in regional markets formerly dominated by heroin and cocaine. It will examine the relationship between each of these newly prevalent synthetic substances and describe what we know so far about their impact on HIV and related comorbidities. Finally, it will assess how the public health impact of recent transformations to the US narcotics supply relates to the experience of drug consumption and the actual way that people use drugs in their everyday lives.

Learning Objectives

Following participation in this course, participants should be able to:

  • Describe how the sudden expansion of xylazine, fentanyl, and crystal methamphetamine use is related to the history of US drug markets since 1990
  • Describe how each of these substances relate to one another in the experience of consumption and in their public health impact, including on HIV and drug overdose risk
  • Examine avenues for novel public health interventions to minimize the risk of HIV, drug overdose, and related comorbidities, as well as to regulate drug markets to make them less toxic and less economically exploitative for both people who use drugs and people who sell them

The Pacific AETC-NV offers engaging and interactive online learning opportunities to increase healthcare providers' knowledge and awareness of HIV and STI-related health topics. To view all session topics available, please click on Pacific AETC Nevada’s E-Learning page for more online and on-demand learning opportunities.

Presenter

Fernando Montero, PhD
Chief T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellow
HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies
Department of Psychiatry
Columbia University

The Pacific AETC is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award $3,887,700.00. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.