Drug information text service launched

[Mel22]

DRUG information is now available at people's fingertips, thanks to a new text message service.

The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) is launching the Get the effects by txt! scheme to coincide with Schoolies week in the hope it will be used by young people.

The service works by sending a health and safety message listing the effects of a drug when a person texts that substance's name to 0439 TELL ME (0439 835 563).

Links to further information and a counselling service are also sent to the user's mobile phone.

"If you consider around 90 per cent of the Australian population over 14 years of age has a mobile phone, it made sense to introduce an SMS service that provides instant and credible drug information around the clock," said ADF's CEO John Rogerson.

"This confidential service will enable young people to look out for their mates, and will make it easy for parents to be informed.

"The Australian Drug Foundation firmly believes that better knowledge and understanding about drugs is a key way Australia can reduce risks to individuals and the community."

The ADF has compiled a database of more than 1,200 variations of drug names, including slang terms.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/br...service-launched/story-e6frf7kf-1226520856367

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I heard about this on the radio this morning and it piqued my interest. I tried it out:

Ecstasy: "Ecstasy makes u feel energetic, empathy Temperature & heart rate increases Come-down includes anxiety & depression Dehydration risk"
Ice: "Ampehtamine = Stimulant Speeds up nervous system Feel alert & powerful Long term use can lead to psychosis Risk from needle sharing"
PMMA: "Ampehtamine = Stimulant Speeds up nervous system Feel alert & powerful Long term use can lead to psychosis Risk from needle sharing"
GBL: "GHB Sedative Produces states of euphoria High risk of overdose High doses can lead to confusion convulsion seizures coma"

Hmmm...

 

[tentram]

hmmmm indeed. doesn't sound overly informative...at least in it's infancy. some more work and research put into it with more comprehensive information and it has the capability of being a worthwhile resource somewhere down the track. it's a start at least. they should be telling them to visit bluelight and the likes if you ask me.

thanks for sharing, mel

 

[drug_mentor]

Kind of disappointing that it seems as though the information they are providing isn't too accurate. Risk of needle sharing with PMMA? As far as I was aware it was just an adulterant in pills not something people inject, I wouldn't describe "ecstasys" (assuming one is talking about MDMA) effect as energetic either. If they can't even provide accurate information I really don't see how they hope this will make any difference.

 

[Mel22]

Risk of needle sharing with PMMA? As far as I was aware it was just an adulterant in pills not something people inject

The info they provided for PMMA is exactly the same as what they provide for all amphetamines. Very disappointing.

 

[JessFR]

Even more disappointing.... that's a horrible name for the service.

Get the effects by txt? You shorten 'text' by one letter but nothing else? 04 efx2text (33928398) or 04fxtotext or something have been more clever. Tried dialing it it's not in service either.

More seriously though, I thought the 90% of kids with phones already had drug information at their fingertips... the internet? Of course not being a government approved source, it could be inaccurate.... or even scarier, it could be accurate.

 

[Fieldy]

somewhat a step in the right direction...still along way to go stupid aus gov!!!

 

[poledriver]

Australian Drug Foundation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. The ADF's work is inclusive of both legal and illegal drugs on a national level and focuses on primary and secondary prevention. The Foundation has a vision to "create Australian culture that supports people so they can live healthy, safe and satisfying lives, unaffected by drug problems".[1]
The ADF is made up of a number of directorates that each aim to prevent drug problems, as opposed to treating existing problem users. There is an information dissemination arm, the DrugInfo Clearinghouse;[2] a research arm; a community support program, the Good Sports Program;[3] and an alcohol advocacy group, the Community Alcohol Action Network [4]
[edit]History

The ADF was established in 1959 as the Alcoholism Foundation of Victoria. It was a response to the lack of services for alcohol dependent people at the time, and provided counselling and information. In those days, the Foundation called for a "coordinated attack by the community, involving education, treatment and research".[5]
Over the ensuing decades, the nature of drug use changed in Australia. The Victorian Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Dependence eventually led to the current name. Over time, treatment services became more widely available. The ADF moved away from this aspect of service delivery and began to develop primary and secondary prevention resources — a focus that remains to the present day.
[edit]Media Attention

The Australian Drug Foundation is considered to be a national leader in the alcohol and other drug field, and as such is often called upon by media outlets to comment on issues.

What is this service?

Get the effects by txt! is a drug information service via SMS. It provides people with information about the effects of drugs in a confidential and accessible way wherever you are and at any time of the day.

How do I use it?

Simply text the name of the drug you want to know about to 0439 TELL ME (0439 835 563).

You’ll then receive an SMS about the effects of the drug, as well as links to further information and help.

For example, text "pot" (or "dope", "weed" etc) to 0439 TELL ME (0439 835 563).

You’ll receive this SMS: “Cannabis makes u relaxed and affects coordination & motivation. Heavy & long term use linked to memory loss, psychosis & cancer. www.druginfo.adf.org.au 1800888236"

How much does it cost to use?

Standard rates apply to text 0439 835 563

Who is it for? Who can use it?

Get the effects by txt! is for young people but can be used by anyone who wants access to information about the effects of drugs quickly and easily.

Why are you targeting young people?

Research shows SMS is the most effective way for young people to get this information.

What if someone needs help or is in serious trouble or danger?

Get the effects by txt! picks up certain key words, such as HELP, and advises people to either call triple zero (000) in an emergency, or DirectLine (1800 888 236)—which is a portal to local treatment services and further health information.

What about my privacy?

The service is 100% confidential—that’s an important benefit of the service.

See the Australian Drug Foundation’s privacy policy for more details.

http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/what-we-do/sms-service-your-questions-answered

They should offer the info online too. I dont think it's on their site.

 

[spacejunk]

They should pay us to offer such a service.
....on second thoughts, that's probably a really bad idea.

The whole scheme seems like a step in the right direction....on paper, at least.

 

[The-Future]

A drug testing tent would seriously save lives. This is stupid, most 'Ecstasy' pills are not gonna have those effects at all. Most kids with phones also have access to google so hopefully they use that instead.

 

[Oxyuranus]

Err... Psychosis risk from needle sharing? Haha, shit.

 

[poledriver]

A drug testing tent would seriously save lives.

Yeah a group here in Aus did that for a while at some raves in South Oz (i think mostly) (enchanted forest and not sure what else)...About 10 yrs ago now. It went well to start with as far as i can recall, but eventually the media and police were all over it and it got stopped from memory.

Enlighten.org.au (HR group) seems to be down now which sux, they used to sell test kits and publish results on their site. They were part of (or the) team that did the testing at some events back then I believe.

I agree tho, it is a shame drug testing tents can't happen in this day and age here, people are going to take them anyway and the sniffer dog thing doesn't seem to make alot of difference except ruining a heap of peoples time at the event and sending them off to drug school or court or whatever they do.

 

[kaywholed]

oh darn. I was hoping you could text the hotline, and they would tell you who had the good shit and good price.

 

[cassandragemini]

Well their hearts are in the right place but it's a half arsed effort in my opinion. This is the reply I received when I text 'heroin' to them:

Heroin Highly addictive powerful opiate painkiller Produces euphoria & apathy Smoked or injected Risk from needle sharing druginfo.adf.org.au 1800888236

Other than the link to druginfo that info is utterly useless, who other than the really really naive dont know that about heroin? Maybe they'll improve the service but what they are providing so far is useless. They need to provide info that can be used, maybe something like -

Drug: heroin
Class: depressant, opiate (similar to morphine, oxycodone)
Psychological effects: euphoria, lowering of inhibitions, confusion, apathy
Physical effects: slowed breathing, slowed heart rate and lowered blood pressure, overdose, coma, death
Routes of use: snorting, smoking, intravenous injection, swallowing, rectal etc etc.

It would also help to have a small 'tips and tricks' type thing like:

If you plan to use heroin keep this in mind: heroin can cause overdose and death, especially of combined with alcohol, benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, temazepam). Start with a small dose to test its purity or to see if you are allergic. If you have scales weigh out a small amount - 0.025 grams and start from there, you can always take more if the dose you have taken isnt enough but you can't take less once you've had the drug. Wait at least 30 min before you redose. Always use heroin with a someone who can assist you if you overdose. If you are injecting make sure you use clean equipment, sharing needles or equipment can lead to infection with hep C, HIV or a bacterial infection such as golden staph....

Etc etc etc. Obviously you need to cut it down to text size but seeing as most people now have smart phones (and you can divide a long message into multiple texts anyway) I think there could be a lot more info provided than the 5 lines of useless crap they sent me.

It would also help if they provided a link to nsp's and other drug services in your area and a more thorough guide into how to inject, snort or smoke (and use any other drug) safely would help. Also providing info on what to do in an emergency and having some sort of disclaimer about the low purity and what other street drugs like ecstasy might contain would help, texting them 'ecstasy' and getting info on MDMA when really you have bzp or a k bomb is not just useless but dangerous. Without this kind of info the service is basically useless. And seeing as the info they have provided on PMMA etc is plain wrong makes the service even more useless and potentially dangerous, there is already way way to much urban myth/old wives tales about drugs circulating so if these guys want to educate and help young people using drugs they could at least get their facts straight. Jesus who ok'd that crap on PMMA? That's really not good enough.

Im trying to get work in the harm reduction services in Melbourne, I've got an interview with the north Richmond nsp on Monday (I'm come to know the staff there well and have spent quite a bit of time in there talking to them about HR, they're really cool) and I've had a meeting with one of the managers from youthprojects/the living room in the city and have sent them my cv so hopefully I'll be able to fit in somewhere. I'm sick of working my bum job and really when I think about it the only things I really know anything about are music production and drugs so I might as well use my knowledge and get a job that I enjoy and can help the people I care about. If I do get work i plan to try and initiate a lot of the harm reduction ideas we have on BL and this crappy service is something I'll bring up for sure.

 

[Oxyuranus]

Great post Cass as always mate.

 

[poledriver]

Yeah I agree, they should have a better reply service than that. Even if they are 'planning' on updating and adding more info, it shouldn't have be released so half assed, I think anyway, and if they really care about people and drug effects why don't they offer the info online so people can access it there too?

 

[Oldred3s]

Am I the only person here that thinks this service the government are providing is extremely suspicious? Call me paranoid I don't care but sending a government agency text messages to sus out particular drugs seems pretty stupid. Great way for them to gather I donation on who uses what and also it could be easier to tap your phone and find out who your suppliers are etc etc. considering as a lot of people hear have already said that the information they provide is inaccurate (as it would be coming from the government). This is just a ploy to see what people do what drugs. Just like road side drug testing is just a way for the authorities to find out what people are doing drugs and a way for them to fine you for being high. I laughed at this when I heard it on the radio and said to
Myself " blue light and pillreports and erowid among other well known sites already offer a far more accurate source of information." I sure as hell won't be sending my phone number to an agency like the one supplying this "free and informative service" fuck that

 

[tyrael]

Well their hearts are in the right place but it's a half arsed effort in my opinion.....

I'd agree. I think a typical example of a Government move to make it look like they're acting.

A drug testing tent would seriously save lives.....Most kids with phones also have access to google so hopefully they use that instead.

Definitely! Exchanges/event tends/testing/etc. would do a lot more, save more lives and help people than a text service replying a non-helpful, generic, sentence about a drug of which the person would more than likely already know this about.

Am I the only person here that thinks this service the government are providing is extremely suspicious? Call me paranoid....

I doubt it's as nefarious as that however it wouldn't surprise me if statistics / "alternate" information were gather from the service!

 

[Oldred3s]

I doubt it's as nefarious as that however it wouldn't surprise me if statistics / "alternate" information were gather from the service! [/QUOTE]

I do tho. If they really wanted to make things safer they would legalise and control substances so A) they could profit from
It B) cut out all the dodgy adulterated shit being put out on the streets and c) be able to more accurat and better research. I've always thought psychedelic drugs open ones mind more and make one less suseptable to bullshit that gets fed to one from media and the government. Of I kep going on tho I would need to take this to another thread or site but that's the gist of what I'm getting at. Some may say I'm crazy and or paranoid but I don't care. I just don't trust an organisation that has banned what we like to use but at ye same time "offers help and advice" bit if they catch you with shit they'll throw your ass in a court room and give you a record "for your own protection"

 

[Juvenile]

lol text messages. Have they figured out how to send them back in time to when every man and his dog didnt own a smart phone?
internet on my phone > 1990's sms tech.

Also, content is horseshit.

 

[cassandragemini]

The thing about the government is its governed by the game of politics which means things often don't make sense and aren't done for the greater good. It's not always a conspiracy, sometimes it's just an illogical mess.