SMS/txt drug info for mobile phones: NZ trial

Mobile phone txt drug info service was launched in New Zealand last week. It proved rather popular!

Text drug message service a hit
A new service offering drug education via text message was used 10,000 times on its first day - the number expected in the first month.

After texting the name of an illegal drug to 3784, people get a text back with brief information about the drug and where to get help.

Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell says it is all about making good information accessible and letting people make informed decisions.

Bell says the only other country to use the service is Ireland where paramedics use the service if they attend someone who has taken an overdose.

The comprehensive nature of the information service is proving a winner and Bell says it doesn't matter if a texter doesn't know the scientific name for the drug. He says most of the inquiries so far are about P, but cannabis and recreational drugs also feature.

He says if people have queries about prescription medicines, they should contact their doctor

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Link
Press release on front page here:
NZ Drug Foundation

This sounds fantastic. It would be great if something like this could be started up in Australia too (it would also probably be much more cost-effective if there was a shared centre from which the service was administered). An issue I can see arising from this is that there is enough of a variance in slang just in different parts of Australia and how this fares across the Tasman I couldn't say having never been to New Zealand (will say though I've never heard anybody except a Kiwi refer to meth as "P").

On the NZ Drug Foundation's website it says this:

Get the Msg' will be rolled out nationwide on September 1, 2006 for a four month free trial period on the Vodafone network. Get the Msg is planned to be available for other networks following this trial period.

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Does this mean that after the four month trial period that they will start charging for the service? If that's the case I really think the government should step up and provide funding as I'd hate for people to be discouraged from using it because they wanted to save fifty cents..

I would appreciate it if some people currently in NZ could report on their experiences.

i'd like to see an example of the information being sms'd back to see wether its legit harm minimisation or propagandist bullshit

Hater said:

i'd like to see an example of the information being sms'd back to see wether its legit harm minimisation or propagandist bullshit

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Jeez, so cynical! The Drug Foundation in NZ is a real promoter of harm minimisation. Your Australian Drug Foundaiton is just as good, I hear.

here's a few examples:
Cannabis User relaxed and talkative Affects coordination & motivation Heavy & long term use linked to memory loss psychosis & cancer www.drug.org.nz 0800 693 784
Benzodiazepines Prescription only sedative Highly addictive Overdose risk leading to coma or death especially if taken with alcohol www.drug.org.nz 0800 693 784
Amphetamine Stimulant Speeds up nervous system Feel alert & powerful Long term use can lead to psychosis Risk from needle sharing www.drug.org.nz 0800 693 784
Alcohol Depressant can be addictive People relax socially Used unsafely can lead overdose alcohol poisoning Many long term effects www.drug.org.nz 0800 693 784

The service has got about 20,000 queries already - it's only been going for 4 days and NZ ain't that big a country!

I dont see the point in it.
I SMS to find out something i would already know but compressed into a pathetic 160 characters. Most people now days have a minimum or dial-up internet thus can find better info out themselves.

Maybe im missing something.

Heres an idea:
SMS pillreports.
SMS the name of your pill and they send back the info.
That would be great harm minimisation for those who by pills at a club, cant get a tester or don’t have internet.

Its for people who dont have a clue, remember not everyone is as bright as the people who visit this site. Also I suspect the younger crowd using the service, since 'iT R sO Cl 2 B cHoPP3d oN piLls' and 'ZoMG WaFFL3S 111!!'.

Mechanoids said:

I dont see the point in it.
I SMS to find out something i would already know but compressed into a pathetic 160 characters. Most people now days have a minimum or dial-up internet thus can find better info out themselves.

Maybe im missing something.

Heres an idea:
SMS pillreports.
SMS the name of your pill and they send back the info.
That would be great harm minimisation for those who by pills at a club, cant get a tester or don’t have internet.

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Mechanoids said:

I dont see the point in it.
I SMS to find out something i would already know but compressed into a pathetic 160 characters. Most people now days have a minimum or dial-up internet thus can find better info out themselves.

Maybe im missing something.

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I'm not sure whether too many people have access to the internet at 3am at a club when some dude offers them a vial of G.
Sure, the SMS is limited but it does offer a portal into a more comprehensive info service via the website.
People would be mistaken if they thought they could get a whole bunch of info from a txt message; just as people would be rather silly to assume that we all have access to the internet at nightclubs / raves at 3am.

What is G anyway, is it known as something else?

schnitz said:

What is G anyway, is it known as something else?

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Well if you had the txt service you'd be able to find out!
G = GHB

This is what you'd get via txt:
GHB Sedative Produces states of euphoria High risk of overdose High doses can lead to confusion convulsions seizures coma www.drug.org.nz

mechanoids - pillreports used to have an awesome wap site for mobiles, wap.pillreports.com, i used it quite a few times, but when version 2 of pillreports came out, i found it hardly worked at all on mine or any of my friends phones...

This_is_my_alias said:

mechanoids - pillreports used to have an awesome wap site for mobiles, wap.pillreports.com, i used it quite a few times, but when version 2 of pillreports came out, i found it hardly worked at all on mine or any of my friends phones...

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I used to use it as well, nothing like sitting in a club at 3am reading Pill Reports. Hope some version of it makes a comeback one day, especially with mobile internet services really starting to take off.