Event - Does Brisbane Need An Injecting Room? 11.08.11

[Mr Blonde]

PDF hosted at MediaFire

Basically the Queensland Council For Civil Liberties is hosting a night with discussion of 'the merits of safe injecting rooms, the importance of community
support for these initiatives and the need for ‘local solutions to local problems’.

Speakers include Dr Alex Wodak, who was involved in Australia's first needle exchange programs and the set up of the King's Cross injecting room.

Sounds like an interesting night, if any Brisbane BL'ers want to attend let me know.

 

[Mr Blonde]

Uploaded an image of the file in case people don't want to download the PDF.

I'd like to get a chance to meet with Dr Wodak, and hopefully the response to the idea is positive.

ETA: Wodak, not Woden... must have been thinking of my old suburb in Canberra for some reason. 8)

 

[belarki]

Looks pretty interesting actually, thanks for linking this Mr B

 

[Mr Blonde]

^ My pleasure, it would be cool to have a couple of BL'ers attending.

 

[Crankinit]

Well I certainly don't think it could hurt, but does Brisbane have enough of a culture of street IV drug use to justify establishing such a site?

 

[andyturbo]

Wouldn't mind meeting some brissy BL's.. many people planning on going?

 

[Jabberwocky]

thanks for mentioning this when we met at lunch today blondey and posting this in here as there are quite a few brisbane bluelighters. i'll definitely be attending if possible.

 

[Mr Blonde]

Wouldn't mind meeting some brissy BL's.. many people planning on going?

I hope so! Any Brisbane BL'ers thinking of attending should send me a PM or something and maybe we can arrange to meet beforehand.

thanks for mentioning this when we met at lunch today blondey and posting this in here as there are quite a few brisbane bluelighters. i'll definitely be attending if possible.

No problems comrade, I'll send you a PM about it shortly. :D

 

[Jabberwocky]

appreciate it, brother

and yeah a meetup beforehand would be cool. bring your own sets and gear beforehand

Well I certainly don't think it could hurt, but does Brisbane have enough of a culture of street IV drug use to justify establishing such a site?

it definitely does in my eyes.

walking through fortitude valley you see dirty sharps on the streets. even walking through the main st mall there's plenty of junkheads walking around. the last 2 ocassions seeing my doctor i've seen quite the sites; guys sweating, shaking back and forth in their chair waiting to see the dr, smelling like shit.

 

[Mr Blonde]

I feel there is a need for such a room in Brisbane. From my exposure to it, there is definitely an active and sizable injecting scene in the city, and the needle supply program seems quite popular. Although many pharmacies in QLD do supply needles, I feel that an injecting room could offer increased benefits to the IV drug using community in the city.

 

[drug_mentor]

Hopefully this eventually goes ahead, there is no sensible reason not to have one anywhere and it was total bullshit how they shut down the idea of putting one in Richmond.

I can't comment on Brisbanes level of injecting drug use, I imagine there is less dope up there than Melbourne or Sydney but the amphetamine scene seems to have more injecting drug users compared to here which is centred around smoking. I really don't see there being any major city that couldn't benefit from an injecting room anyway.

 

[Busty St Clare]

I don't see why they don't incorporate an injection room with existing needle exchanges. most of the time guys will inject a few minutes after coping new rigs so better to get them off the street and out of harms way. The Valley is the obvious first choice, you can't tell me that the seedier areas would get any worse than they already are now.

 

[rm2x]

BIALA would be well suited too.

 

[Jabberwocky]

^i think that's where busty was hinting about, or at least where i think it should go. it would make the most sense imo to incorporate it with the Biala centre because again as busty said most people go up the street and have their shot within a few minutes of getting their sharps.

 

[Mr Blonde]

I can't comment on Brisbanes level of injecting drug use, I imagine there is less dope up there than Melbourne or Sydney but the amphetamine scene seems to have more injecting drug users compared to here which is centred around smoking. I really don't see there being any major city that couldn't benefit from an injecting room anyway.

Heroin definitely isn't used as much as amphetamines are here, and a lot of users are injecting that terrible 'base' crap.

Busty: I'm not sure why the discussion is focused on having a facility in the Valley rather then at Biala; perhaps because there is a higher incidence of IV related incidents around that area?

 

[Mr Blonde]

I've just sent off to get get some more information regarding the evening, so will update the thread as necessary. Tickets are fairly cheap, and in return you will get to be exposed to a harm reduction campaign taking place right now that will hopefully result in improved outcomes for IV drug users in the city of Brisbane.

 

[Busty St Clare]

Either or to be honest. The problem with the valley will be more residents kicking up a stink. At least Roma st is a bit more "commercial"

 

[xshivaspacetechnol]

Would be an extremely interesting seminar, always looking to help out HR in our country, especially here in SE QLD (Bris, GC) where it seems to be frowned upon and too much misinformation being reported and lack of education to the general public, police, schools, media and even some healthcare practitioners.

Count me in, considering my Rugby team doesn't make the finals

 

[Mr Blonde]

Payment has to be made by personal or bank cheque or by bank transfer. I'll be buying mine via a bank cheque next week probably... if anyone else wants me to get tickets for them at the same time PM me to organize.

 

[Jabberwocky]

^yo, while we're both online would you mind sending me through that pm you nodded off and forgot last night