You should hopefully all have been made aware of this - but if not.
http://www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/embroadcast.nsf

Jeff

Jeff,
Thank you. I was out of clinic yesterday so I hope it's been publicised when I return.

Daft thought, but where does the advice to smoke heroin rather than inject it leave the harm reduction status of current needle exchange schemes?

Jeff

Interesting - as I understand it, advising IV heroin users to try smoking it is sensible and perfectly legal as a harm reduction measure. You can even show them how to chase the heroin to get a better effect. However it is illegal to provide foil ( the strong stuff that works best ) to IV users, even if this will help them to smoke the heroin and reduce harm from injecting. We are looking at this locally - apparently a letter from the Regional Police Service can help to assure needle Xch workers that they will not be arrested for providing " illegal " paraphernalia. This has been achieved in North Yorks, and even the PCT are OK with it. Not sure if there is a clear evidence base for specifially providing foil but it seems to make sense, and it less harmful to the wider community than providing needles etc.
Also of course if a person is unable to switch to smoking immediately( becuase their co - user injects, and therefore cooks it all up, or for other valid reasons ) or really isn't ready to make that change, then harm reduction including providing needles and the allowed paraphernalia is OK.

quote:

Interesting - as I understand it, advising IV heroin users to try smoking it is sensible and perfectly legal as a harm reduction measure.

It is - but it had never occurred to me - and as far as I can recall wasn't mentioned on any of the needle exchange training that I'd been to.

Jeff

I guess its not talked about Jeff, because it isnt on the allowed list of paraphernalia.I do talk about it when I speak to Pharmacy staff about harm reduction. If you go on the Exchange Supplies site, there is some info on it.
Very few areas do supply it, because of the problems, and I believe s, although some Police Forces have been supportive, some havent been so

It's just nuts!

quote:

It's just nuts!

That's putting it mildly. I could use stronger terminology.
Every corner shop & supermarket has foil. It doesn't really
make any sense not to allow distribution through NX outlets
where HR information, dialogue and monitoring could occur.

jimi