Event - Does Brisbane Need An Injecting Room? 11.08.11

[Mr Blonde]

^ Check your email, just sent you some info then.

Though I may still be a little out of it from last night...

 

[Jabberwocky]

lol dude, i've been out of it all day as well. i went to sleep around 4 or 5 then went back to sleep around 4ish and woke up about an hour ago and am already wanting to go back to sleep. may pop a xannie to help:D

and cheers for the email comrade!

i slipped getting down off the bunk bed when i woke up and landed straight on my tail bone and it's pretty damn sore

 

[Mr Tee Blah]

BIALA would be well suited too.

i always get the rigs first - then go and cop later,

im too para about holding near the cop shop in roma - though i know they arnt suppost to hassle ppl coming from Biala

does anyone here have experiene using a safe injecting room? any idea on police targeting customers (as likely holding) before or after visit?

 

[rm2x]

the police really don't hassle anyone at biala, well at least not in my time using their services (over a 12 year period)

 

[Mr Blonde]

Any Canberra based BL'ers have any info on what the deal was with the ACT's failed experiment with an injecting room? Apparently they had trouble with people buying outside the room and police having to deal with a lot of trouble... I'm too young to remember it, but apparently the public wasn't too happy about it either. I think they must have gone about it the wrong way, unlike King's Cross which has been successful.

 

[belarki]

*bump* this was a really interesting seminar! Were any other Bluelighters there other than Mr Blonde and myself? Some fascinating statistics brought up during the presentations but what really struck me as frustrating is that the data on overdoses in Brisbane will not be released so it makes it very hard to have a serious debate on the topic of necessity for such a facility here. -_-

Mr B took quite a few notes so I'll leave it tio him to make a summary of the night

 

[What was it?]

I'd love to. But if we meet one of us might be a cop. Perhaps we shouldn't admit to being BLers but just rock up there and see how we go. Better to eye each other first....pretty easy to sense a cop being present I reckon.


...sorry, look like my post is too late

 

[Crankinit]

Someone invent a secret AUDD handshake imo.

 

[Mr Blonde]

^ You guys are too late; it was last night and Belarki and I attended. No police presence, though from what the speakers said it sounds as though there is support among Brisbane police for an IV room, especially among the older cops who aren't so 'gung-ho' about the whole thing.

Need to get the notes off my iPhone (fucking Apple software) but will post up information later on.

 

[Crankinit]

It's never too late for a secret handshake, you never know when you'll need it!

 

[drug_mentor]

I am very interested to get a breakdown of the discussion as I believe an injecting room in any major city (fuck, pretty much anywhere with an injecting scene) can only be a positive thing. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of police support an IV room, I imagine they get quite a few call outs to public places where non users have witnessed a 'shocking' injection and contacted the authorities, only to get there long after the culprit is gone and possibly increase the time it takes them to respond to more pressing incidents. Even the macho superman suit motherfuckers must tire of catching endless sick junkies who copped a short .1 balloon out of some grimy cunts mouth as it would hardly satisfy them on either an intellectual nor adrenaline junkie level.

It really amazes me that an open air scene continues to thrive in certain capital cities of this country which honestly IMO could be rather easily controlled and perhaps eliminated by law enforcement, it leads me to think that policing low level drug crime really isn't a priority here like it is in certain parts of the states like parts of Jersey for example. Surely if the police put the slightest effort into it they could squash any open drug market situated directly out front of an injecting room if that was their desire. I must say that truthfully I wonder if there is some benefit to a thriving drug scene being close to an injecting room as it must make an IDU atleast somewhat more likely to take advantage of the facility if it is just around the corner.

 

[Mr Blonde]

I am very interested to get a breakdown of the discussion

Well here we go!

Firstly, my notes from Dr. Wodak's talk:

* An injecting room will attract users at high risk of contracting disease or overdosing and will help reduce high risk behavior. Additionally, many of these users may never have been in the healthcare system before and the room offers them an opportunity to perhaps get a foot in the door with regards to treatment services.
* Previous injecting rooms (including internationally) have had a high rate of acceptance by residents, businesses and police even if it took time for them to reach these levels.
* There would be safe, hygienic conditions and internationally there has not been a single fatality by OD at an injecting room. There are also no serious negative consequences such as increased drug use or promotion of drug use.
* Injecting rooms reduce risky behaviors and increase knowledge of safer use. For example,
- Frequent attendance of an injecting room lead to a 70% decrease in sharing of syringes
- Decrease in injecting related injuries including bacterial infection, though it is difficult to monitor infective disease transmission rates due to a lack of facilities.
* Decreased OD's, with a conservative estimate of 4-10 lives saved per year by the injecting room.
* The rate of emergencies at the injecting room in Sydney was around 0.5-0.7 per 1000 injections.
* In Vancouver, there was a 35% decrease in deaths within 500 meters of their Drug Consumption Room (DCR), and a 9% reduction beyond that 500m range.
*So basically, improved access to healthcare, increased drug education among users, increased rates of admission to detox, decreased ambulance call-outs and decreased heath care expenses as a result of the reduction in OD's and deaths.
* Decreased use of drugs in public, depending on access to a DCR and it's hours and capacity.
* Decrease in discarded syringes in the community, and an increase in public perception of the DCR over time as benefits are seen.
* There is an increased impact of a DCR if there is a political consensus on it.
* No data on whether DCR's send the wrong message.
* No legal challenges to IV rooms yet despite controversies.
* In Vancouver, the benefit:cost ratio of their DCR was 5.12:1, saving over $6,000,000 in public spending.
* In Sydney, the estimated benefit/cost ratio was 0.72 to 1.19, but with implementation of greater efficiency could reach from 1.20 to 1.97
* Evidence shows effectiveness, safety and cost effectiveness.
* These rooms only need to be required near major drug markets.

Here are my notes from the talk by Dr. Ingrid van Beek, AM, who was the former medical director of the King's Cross (KX) injecting room.

* Development of this policy has been slow.
* Other states reluctant to introduce DCR's.
* Internationally there are 90 DCR's in 8 countries; mainly in heavy drug market areas.
* Homelessness associated with street IV'ing.
* Royal Wood corruption inquiry brought IV use into public view, KX room resulted
* 10% of of drug related deaths in Sydney were in KX (not sure if I got this note right).
* High community/political support for the KX DCR.
* Currently 46% QLD support, higher near heavy drug market areas, e.g. Fortitude Valley
* Initial problems with low levels of knowledge about DCR's in the public
* High profile criticism from tabloids, shock jocks, Christian and family groups, etc...
* There is still high funding for groups such as Drug Free Australia, runs against a harm reduction policy.
* Illicit drug use 'not pretty'.
* Continual need for a high level of public advocacy.
* At KX, there have been issues with confidentially being breached, e.g. tabloids showing photos of people leaving the DCR.
*Users cite security, hygiene, confidentiality as attractions to the KX DCR.
* KX offers counselling services.
* 12,675 regular users in 10 years, 10/week
* 9043 referrals to health/social welfare
* Heroin shortage confounds numbers
* 2008 economic analysis showed MSIC given massive savings to health system; 2:1 ratio
* Effect is localized
* Need to be located at major drug problem areas
* Could be implemented as part of NSP
* Would need legislative change; decriminalization.
* Is political, community climate and drug culture ready for legal change?
* Economic review if <162 visits
* Trial status lifted on KX DCR, but still only the KX room with yearly reviews.
* Government too conservative.
* News Ltd policy of opposing the KX Medically Supervised Injecting Center (MSIC).
* Increased gentrification of KX.
* Situation regarding drugs not as acute anymore in KX area.
* NSW Premier says there are no plans to close the room.
* Uncertainty still exists though over the future of KX.
* Lack of optimism towards progressive drug policy.
* Does pressing MSIC agenda take away from other HR issues?
* Aust. Little progress since 2000
* Uniting Care NSW running the MSIC

And finally, some brief notes from Ruth Birgin, a HR consultant who serves on the boards of the Queensland Injectors Health Network and the Queensland Intravenous AIDS Association (QuIVAA):

* Right now, the idea of an injecting room in QLD could be considered a 'pipeline dream'.
* OD data from QLD 'unreliable'
* 2-3 OD callings/week in valley
* The Valley is a major drug supply area
* 99% of a small sample population say they would use such a room if it existed in Fortitude Valley.
* 33-52% of all IV use is on the streets.
* At least 2 call-outs a week to dispose of syringes that have been publicly discarded.
* Would favor modern/mobile rooms
* Drug users would be assimilated into the community with greater access to healthcare and social services.
* Chance of nonhygeine, OD, public harassment if users continue to IV on the streets.

So there you go. It was a very interesting night, and you can also read a press release here: http://www.qccl.org.au/documents/Media_AW_11Aug11_Does_Bne_Need_MSIC.pdf

Would love to get some feedback on what other BL'ers think of these notes.

 

[Crankinit]

Really interesting stuff, thanks for taking the time to type it out and post it.

Hopefully this draws some attention to the issue.

 

[drug_mentor]

Thanks for taking the time to write that out Mr Blonde, it certainly seems like it would of been an interesting night and it is good to see some educated opinions coming out and highlighting the positives that would be associated with an injecting room.

 

[Mr Blonde]

No problems guys; I had to edit that all before I posted it as I was taking notes hastily on my iPhone on the night and using abbreviations that I couldn't remember the meaning of later. :D

There was a brief questions session afterwards, but unfortunately I didn't get to ask my question as a lot of time was taken up by what seemed to be the one person in the room who DIDN'T think there should be an injecting room in Brisbane. You could hear groans and chuckles throughout the audience.

I did get to speak to both Dr van Beek and Ruth Birgin afterwards, they were both very intelligent people. I also got Ms Birgin's contact details so that I might be able to help out with one of her organizations.

 

[What was it?]

This seems to definitely be getting some traction. There was a write-up in the free newspaper this week 'city', the one you can find just about anywhere around Queen Street. So the next question is, how was the decision made in SYD and by whom? How did the go-ahead get given?

 

[Seth_Heinmann]

QLD Politicians will never support safe injecting rooms in the State

It's a great idea introducing injecting rooms to Brisbane. They certainly need it. However, until more left-wingers get into government is isn't going to happen. While most Queenslanders have evolved from their prehistoric conservative roots as laid down by former Premier Joh Bjelke Petersen, they haven't shifted left very far.

I believe Queensland is one of the most conservative states in Australia.

 

[jaurk]

Where the heck are they going to fit in an injecting room into Brisbane?
I'm thinking of the main city, as that's the only place I've ever been when I'm their..

 

[Mr Blonde]

^ If you read the beginning of the thread and the notes posted, it would be in the Valley where they have problems with IV in public, OD's, etc... more so then in Brisbane CBD.

 

[jaurk]

^ If you read the beginning of the thread and the notes posted, it would be in the Valley where they have problems with IV in public, OD's, etc... more so then in Brisbane CBD.

I just finished reading this all, and now I see my previous post...
Guess I should read before asking stupid questions.