lil angel15
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ACON drug campaign targets GHB users
By Reg Domingo
12/07/2007 11:13:27 AM
People who use the drug GHB are the focus of a new campaign launched this week by ACON.
"This new campaign reinforces the important information that people who use GHB need to know and builds upon ACON's previous GHB campaign," said Nicky Bath, ACON's Alcohol and Other Drugs Program Manager.
Bath said that the campaign also addresses anecdotal evidence that some people are using GHB - gamma hydroxybutyrate - at home which increases the risk because trained staff are not present to provide assistance if an overdose occurs. The recreational dosage range of GHB is narrow and small overdoses can cause a person to become unconscious. Large doses can be life-threatening.
"Because of the dangers, we're advising people to avoid using GHB on their own, to wait plenty of time between doses and to avoid using it with depressants such as alcohol or valium because mixing GHB with other depressants can increase the drug's negative effects. And if somebody drops, then call an ambulance or seek immediate medical help," Bath said.
Bath said ACON was neither condoning nor condemning drug use. "In terms of assisting people to look after their health, the most effective and sensible approach is to acknowledge that some people in our community choose to use illicit drugs. This campaign will increase people's knowledge of GHB so that they can minimise the potential harms not only for themselves but also for their friends."
The campaign will feature fish-shaped soy sauce containers, a common device used by GHB users to dispense the drug, along with posters and postcards distributed in pubs, clubs and parties. The campaign has been developed in consultation with the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), with funding provided by NSW Health's Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Office.
SX News