Street kids in Vancouver who use crystal methamphetamine are three times more likely to move on to injection-drug use than their non crystal-using peers, according to research from the B.C. Center for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

The Canadian Press reported April 2 that health workers interviewed 478 youths living on the streets of Vancouver, 71 percent of whom said they used crystal methamphetamine. Ninety-four percent of those interviewed said finding drugs on the street was "very easy."

Study co-author Thomas Kerr said the study showed the need for innovative drug policies to prevent progression to injection-drug use, which raises the risk of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis transmission.

The study was published in the May 2008 issue of the journal Drug & Alcohol Review.