A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that smoking crack cocaine is a risk factor for HIV infection amongst injection drug users.

A previous study conducted in the United States had evaluated inner-city young adults and found that smoking of crack cocaine was associated with HIV infection. Nevertheless, in Canada, knowledge about the impact of crack cocaine use on HIV infection has remained limited. Despite high rates of crack cocaine use (as high as 86 percent in Vancouver), public health programs directed at this group of…