Basic HTML Version
A graphic depiction of the varied ‘dead space’ that different
needles and syringes may contain
– from left to right: a standard
(high dead space) syringe with detachable needle; a low dead
space syringe with standard detachable needle; a standard
syringe with a low dead space needle; and a low dead space
insulin syringe with a fixed needle.
June 2013 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 15
Harm reduction |
First person
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
live
I spent my break inMorocco drinking poppy tea and smoking hash.
I hitched a lift in the middle of nowhere with some German tourists. We
stopped by some woods so that I could wrap my hash and swallow it to cross
the border – that’s when I saw a young soldier with a rifle pointing at my head.
Next thing, he was nudging us over with his gun to a tree, motioning for us to
pull our pants down and bend over – I begged him not to. I tried to convince the
Germans to take one for the team, but they wouldn’t – I was scared he was
going to kill us. After several hours of negotiation, we traded money and hash
for our freedom. I was glad to be leaving Morocco.
Despite nearly being buggered and murdered by a soldier, I didn’t learn my
lesson. My next trip was to Spain to swap some LSD for hash. This time I was
caught and ended up in a Spanish prison. I expected to be there for years – I had
no trial and no defence. All around me people were beaten near to death and I
had to act hard to stay alive. I got lucky again – but my friend had to do five
years. I thought that somebody must have been looking out for me.
Back in London, Walshy had messed up the business. I had been gone for too
long and he had lost our customers to a rival. We were back to a few deals and
had hardly any money. I thought a party for my 25th birthday would be the start
of a comeback – all the big dealers were there, including Brian. The party was
going well and then Walshy overdosed on heroin. We put him in a bath and
slapped him about – he was looking better and just needed to sleep it off. So did
I. I found him the next morning dead.
I ran around the house searching for anything that would numb what I was
feeling. Although I hadn’t given him the heroin that killed him, I felt
responsible. For several weeks I locked myself away and drank myself into
blackout so I could forget everything that had happened. Everybody blamed me
for what happened – nobody would do business with me, Brian wanted money
from me and Walshy’s family wanted me dead.
Mum was worried about me and begged me to get off the drugs – she
thought if I could get clean I would be OK. I thought that if I could quit the
heroin then I could still drink and smoke hash – I just needed to go to a place
where nobody knew me and I could get some distance from London. Time
would heal things and I could kick the heroin habit in India. Besides, I could
always smuggle some drugs back when I got sorted and start again – this time
would be different. I didn’t know this was the beginning of the end.
Mark Dempster is author of
Nothing to Declare: Confessions of an Unsuccessful
Drug Smuggler, Dealer and Addict
, available now on Amazon.
Next issue: Mark becomes a beggar in India, homeless in London and reaches
a crossroads in his life
FIRST PERSON
NOTHING
TO DECLARE
In the fourth part of his
personal story, Mark Dempster
pushes his luck to the limits
abroad and comes home for a
dose of harsh reality
may be unsuitable for the injection of certain drugs, or for injecting in certain
parts of the body. It is essential that clients are widely consulted in order to
ensure the appropriateness of any equipment supplied, and it’s important not
to lose the emphasis on the potential harms of injecting and – particularly –
sharing needles and syringes.
To facilitate this consultation, low dead space alternatives are now available
in a range of sizes and with both fixed and detachable needles. Exchange
Supplies have developed a range of ‘Total Dose’ low dead space needles and
syringes which have a plastic ‘spike’ that fits inside the tip of the syringe while
the syringes have a ‘spike’ on the end of the plunger. Importantly, these
products are also available at prices similar to high dead space needles and
syringes whereas traditionally low dead space alternatives have been perceived
as being too expensive to justify.
Low dead space needles and syringes are a potentially crucial addition to
the harm reduction armoury. Do you know what kinds of needle and syringe
your local services are supplying?
Jamie Bridge is chair of the National Needle Exchange Forum (NNEF).
Low dead space needles and syringes will be among the topics discussed at
the NNEF meeting on 20 September, free to attend for needle and syringe
programme workers, users and advocates. See www.nnef.org.uk for details.