Losing It Over Christmas: Surviving the Holiday Madness
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Published by the NSW Users and AIDS Association Issue No. 63 Summer 2010 Losing It Over Christmas: Surviving The Holiday Madness Ending Prohibition: Interview With Ethan Nadelmann Ecstasy: More Than Just A Good Time UN63_Cover_29Nov10.indd 1 29/11/2010 10:38:59 EVERYONE CAN BE AN EXPERT AT OVERDOSE PREVENTION The Christmas / holiday period, when there’s a lot of partying, drugs and alcohol around, can be an especially risky time for overdose. To avoid overdose this party season: • Don’t mix your drugs • Be extra careful when using after you’ve been drinking • Using pills on top of other drugs (especially opioids) is particularly dangerous. Always be mindful of what you’ve had before taking something else UN63_Cover_29Nov10.indd 2 29/11/2010 10:39:00 Contents 2 Editorial 3 News 5 Letters 7 Fixing Pharmacotherapy — Leah McLeod 9 The Gift — Kez 11 Buttering Up for Christmas — L.S.T. 13 A China-White Christmas — Lotsy 15 Finding the Sweet Spot in Drug Law Reform — Interview with Ethan Nadelmann 19 A Case of Mistaken Identity — Jezza 20 Ecstasy: Not Just for Parties? — Alex Clarke 22 Keep Telling Yourself It’s Ice! — Pat 24 The 12 Days of Christmas — Comic by Tony Sawrey 26 Keeping Safe over Christmas — Sione Crawford 28 Clean — Author 31 Measuring Risk in Injecting: How do we know what we know? — Carla Treloar 33 A Kennel with a View — Sandi 35 Heroin Without the Habit: Tales from Paul Kelly — Mathew Bates 2010 Findings from the NSW IDRS — Jennifer Stafford, Natasha Sindicich, 36 Laura Scott 38 And All Thru the House — Comic by Bodine USER’S NEWS #63 40 Story — Author PO Box 278 Darlinghurst NSW 1300 43 Tomorrow Do Thy Worst, for I Have Lived Today — Katie p (02) 8354 7300 or 44 Recipes Section: Get Hooked on Fish — Lia Purnomo 1800 644 413 (toll free) f (02) 8354 7350 46 Resources e [email protected] 48 Where to Get Fits Editor Gideon Warhaft Cover Glenn Smith Illustrators Bodine Ursula Dyson Rose Ertler ADVERTISING DISCLAIMER Tony Sawrey Glenn Smith Approved advertisements will be The contents of this magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the relevant to the objectives and aims NSW Users & AIDS Association, Inc. (NUAA). NUAA does not judge people Layout Mathew Bates of NUAA. In special circumstances, who choose to use drugs illicitly, and User’s News welcomes contributions advertisements will be accepted if which express opinions and raise issues of concern to drug users - past, they are perceived to be of general present, and potential. In light of current laws on self-administration of User’s News Ursula Dyson interest to User’s News’ readership. drugs, however, it should be clear that by publishing the contents of this Editorial Lissette Flores User’s News takes no responsibility magazine NUAA does not encourage anyone to do anything illegal. While not Board Alicia L. Lecroix Gideon Warhaft with respect to the claims made intending to censor or change their meaning, User’s News reserves the right by advertisers. The publication of to edit articles for length, grammar, and clarity. User’s News allows credited User’s News Max Hopwood an advertisement in User’s News reprinting by community-based groups and other user groups with prior and NUAA Annie Madden is not an endorsement of the approval, available by contacting NUAA. Information in this magazine cannot Website Tony Trimingham advertisers, the products and/or be guaranteed for accuracy by the editor, writers, or NUAA. User’s News Advisory Gideon Warhaft services featured. To advertise in takes no responsibility for any misfortunes which may result from any actions Group Alex Wodak User’s News, please contact the taken based on materials within its pages and does not indemnify readers editor on (02) 8354 7300, or at against any harms incurred. The distribution of this publication is targeted - [email protected]. User’s News is not intended for general distribution. ISSN #1440-4753. UN63_inside_6Dec10.indd 1 6/12/2010 6:24:54 PM Editorial Ecstasy: A Fantasy It’s December 2017. Sydney’s party season is in full swing. of their shock-jock masters. Successive opinion polls People are lining up outside Trance, the world’s first night- showed support increasing for a trial. Even the police aban- club providing ecstasy instead of alcohol. It’s still officially doned their usual oppositional stance – it was difficult for a trial, but it’s been so successful that most pundits expect them not to after a report was leaked indicating how much high-quality MDMA to be made permanently available. easier it was policing people on ecstasy. No one in 2010 would have dreamed that ecstasy would be The loudest criticism came from the Australian Hotels made legally available in under a decade, but then people Association, but their expensive advertising campaign still thought Sydney’s binge drinking crisis, worsening highlighting the “unknown dangers” of MDMA backfired almost by the week, could be brought under control. badly as they became a laughing stock, and their efforts Everything was tried over the next five years: early closures, only bolstered momentum for the trial. advertising campaigns, new drunk and disorderly fines, The Trance nightclub volunteered to conduct the trial, severe restrictions on alcohol advertising. But nothing had which required patrons to pre-book and have a health as- worked: teenagers simply mimicked the furious drinking sessment. The MDMA, synthesised especially for the trial, culture fostered so eagerly by the rest of the population. was priced so that the nightclub suffered no net loss after Meanwhile, the results of a handful of studies into MDMA the switch from alcohol. Teams of health professionals trickled out. Like other studies overseas they suggested roamed the club, making sure patrons were properly the harms of MDMA were minimal. Yes, a few participants hydrated and had the information they needed. reported troubling high heart rates and giddiness the next After 12 weeks of operation, with ecstasy made available day, but overall the adverse reactions resembled those on Friday and Saturday nights, the preliminary results of the myriad of anti-depressants on the market. of the heavily assessed trial were produced. No one died When a Greens MP wrote an op-ed piece suggesting or became seriously ill after taking MDMA, and there was a trial of MDMA as an alternative to alcohol, a curious no evidence of dependency. thing happened: instead of the usual barrage of complaints The most startling effect was on the level of violence: accusing the politician of gross irresponsibility, the letters there was none. The trial demonstrated what everyone had pages showed support for the proposal. Drug experts known for years: people on ecstasy preferred to love each pointed to evidence that on nearly every indicator, MDMA other rather than fight each other. The aggression that had was probably safer than alcohol. The State Government been a weekly feature both inside and outside the club was forced to respond, announcing that ecstasy wouldn’t simply vanished. be made available on its watch. Last month, the trial was extended to other clubs. In the midst of record-high glassings in the CBD Everyone wants to know if the great success can be and Coogee, The Daily Telegraph ran a headline: sustained and repeated elsewhere. So far the results are “Government Ignores Evidence On Alcohol Alternative”. the same. Among the more telling observations of the The drug law reform movement had figured out that con- assessment is that young women are particularly drawn vincing the media should be a major goal, and the Telegraph to MDMA. (What girl doesn’t want to dance?) The boys read the tea leaves suggesting the public was in the mood are naturally following. for something radical. Young people now have a genuine choice when letting By now discussion of the idea was rife. The broadsheet their hair down and they’re embracing it enthusiastically. newspapers published detailed analysis of the pros And studies show that Australia is becoming and cons of MDMA regulation and experts outlined how a gentler country. a trial might be managed. Talkback radio hosts continued Happy New Year! to spread fear about Sydney being awash with drugs Gideon Warhaft but callers increasingly contradicted the views 2 User’s News No. 63 • Summer 2010 UN63_inside_6Dec10.indd 2 6/12/2010 6:24:54 PM News Nadelmann Calls for Drug and the abolishment of non-parole While drug-driving attracts a maxi- Regulation periods to give judges mum fine of $1100 and a six-month Ethan Nadelmann, head of the US- greater discretion. driving ban, motorists stopped for based Drug Policy Alliance, called saliva swabs are not tested for for liberalisation of Australian drug Source: The Australian cocaine or heroin. laws to drive out organised crime Queensland Studies Up on E Meanwhile, nearly four per cent of at the National Press Club Young ecstasy users are unlikely to Victorians who test positive for drug in November. suffer worse health or behavioural driving are innocent. Nadelmann, who was joined by problems than non-users, accord- St Vincent’s Hospital Alcohol and ing to the Queensland Alcohol Drug Saliva tests are used in roadside drug Drug Director Dr Alex Wodak, and Education Centre. testing, which incurs instant licence proposed a model of government QADREC studied over 6000 young suspension. However, 62 of the 1618 taxation and regulation of illicit adults in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. positive samples sent on to the drugs, including prescription of sub- They compared people who’d ekky’d police drug laboratory in 2008-9 stances such as medical marijuana.