Page 65 - WHACK35

our once progressive drug law our fists or apply a warm cloth to
reform policies and practices have get our veins up. The ‘information
been virtually non-existent this last sharing’ went down ok, but I
decade. The basics of harm reduction uncomfortably left it at that.
didn’t seem to exist that afternoon. 6
Down in the basement there By contrast, throughout this major
was no access to sterile needles American city I found myself look-
and syringes and other injecting ing at posters advertising nalox-
equipment, and peer education one for opiate overdose reversals
was non-existent. The local mobile on many bus shelters. Certainly
needle and syringe program passes nothing I’d seen back home.
by twice a week, but the maximum
given out is 10 needles per week. There are times in your life when
an experience leaves a lasting
I watched on as an HIV+ woman impression and that was one for
passed one of her used syringes to me. Harm reduction doesn’t cost a
another woman, who then cleaned lot of money- its life saving and it
the syringe by flushing it out once should be a human and health right 6 . A SS E SS IN G
using water from the shared drink- for all, regardless of culture, state PR AC TI CE S O F OTHE R
ing water bottle. She mixed up or country.
her deal and had her friend help AUS TR ALIAN S TATE S
her out injecting into her groin. AND TE RRITO RIE S
Her friend had just had a taste and
hadn’t washed her bloodied hands AND OVE R S E A S
before assisting. A second HIV+ J U RI S DI C TI O N S AND
woman had been sitting quietly
down the far end of the basement, THE IR
trying to have her taste – attack- APPROACH TO D RUG
ing every vein possible – using
the same, by now, very blunt and L AW
damaged syringe. This, combined RE FO RM AND
with the limited light in the base-
ment, was making things all the H OW OTHE R
more difficult for her. After 30 P OS ITIV E
minutes of trying her frustration
was visibly building and her taste, RE FO RM S COU LD B E
via injecting, was becoming less ADO P TE D TO
and less likely. AB O VE :
B U S S H E LT E R N A LOX O N E P O S T E R VI C TO RIAN L AW.
E X A M P L E I N T H E U S A
I looked at my mate; he knew
I wanted to say something - he
shook his head, but I just couldn’t
leave well enough alone. How
do you do peer education in a
setting like that? Can you? I mean, Harm
I didn’t know these women, our
commonality was the basement.
Remember, I was an outsider – in Reduction
so many ways, tolerated perhaps
because I had money and an accent.
I found myself suggesting that back USA
in Australia we clench and release

TO R 6 : H A R M R E D U C T I O N I N T H E U . S . A 65

WHACK35_LYOT.indd 65 11-Oct-16 4:25:34 PM