ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the subject of women's illicit drug use in the context of HIV/AIDS. There are many aspects of this topic which still need to be addressed, including the stigma which still surrounds illegal drug use, the inadequacy of service provision, the effects of drug use on pregnancy and a range of other women's health matters, the lack of knowledge about the relationship between street drugs and a compromised immune system — and between these two factors and maintenance drugs such as methadone (a heroin substitute), AZT and other treatments. However, íny aim in this chapter is to spark off discussion and debate concerning a wider feminist agenda on drugs use and HIV/ AIDS. This will be done by considering the broader impact of both feminism and AIDS on the development and context of services and policies relating to women drug users, and by asking how appropriate these are for the 1990s.
