Reducing the harm

The Drug Foundation’s message is clear: no drug use is the safest drug use. However, we know there will be occasions when people ignore warnings and use drugs in a dangerous manner. To help keep communities safe we therefore provide information about proven methods of drug harm reduction.

Intravenous drug use, where drugs are injected directly into a person’s veins, seriously increases the risk of infectious diseases – such as hepatitis and HIV – and skin infections. Always use clean needles obtained from a needle exchange service to minimise these risks.

Never share needles, syringes or other injecting equipment.

Unsanitary injecting environments also increase the risk of contracting infections. It is important that ones hands and the site of injection are clean. This will help reduce the risk of infection.

Because of the high risk of overdose, it is important not to use opiates alone.

If you are using opiate drugs for the first time, or you have had a break from using, be aware that your tolerance for the drug will be low. Reduce your dose.

Always boil and filter your drugs. Because most opiates in New Zealand are impure, the level of contamination with other substances can be high. Using a filter reduces the risk of contamination.