Treatment
Opioid substitution treatment practice guidelines February 2003
These Opioid Substitution Treatment New Zealand Practice Guidelines provide a framework for the effective, safe and responsive delivery of opioid substitution treatment and will supersede the National Protocol for Methadone Treatment in New Zealand (1996) from 1 February 2003.
Medication for prisoners leaves wardens uneasy
One in three prisoners is taking prescription drugs, costing taxpayers nearly $1.3 million a year.The cost of prescriptions for prisoners rose from $344,903 in 2000 to $1,279,379 in 2005-2006, figures supplied to National MP Jackie Blue show.
The vanguard of harm reduction: the future of New Zealand's needle exchange
In 1987 New Zealand established its Needle Exchange Programme (NEP), perhaps the first country to do so on such a comprehensive scale. Now, 20 years on, there are 212 outlets operating nationally and 17 dedicated exchange outlets utilising a peer service model. There are 182 pharmacies and health related organisations providing new, sterile injecting equipment and collection of used items. In our Guest Editorial, Needle Exchange Programme National Manager Charles Henderson writes about the programme’s current status and what should happen to ensure its future.It needs to be understood right from the outset. Drug use has always been part of the human condition, and will be for the foreseeable future. Even in our distant past, we used drugs ranging from alcohol to opiates and hallucinogens to induce altered states of mind or assist in spiritual quests.
