Network Against Prohibition (NAP) - NT Chapter

Health information for drug users





Drug Information

For general drug information, we recommend the Vaults of Erowid .

To make things a little easier, we have provided the links to Erowid's information on some of the most commonly used drugs below:

Alcohol ; Amphetamines ; Cannabis ; Cocaine ; Ecstasy ; Ephedrine ; Inhalants ; Ketamine ; GHB ; Heroin ; LSD ; Meth ; Other Opiates ; Tobacco

For information on the effects of drugs not listed above, click here for the most extensive range of drugs on the web.

For general information about other drug-related health issues refer to our NT Health Links , Australian Health Links , Global Health Links and have a look at the services provided by the NAP Peer Education Team .

For information on acquiring illicit drugs in the NT read " Getting a Taste in the Top End ".

For more information about where to get new injecting equipment in the Northern Territory click here .





Handy phone numbers

Northern Territory phone numbers only
To contact the NAP Peer Education Team click here
Phone contact details - NAP Underground

NAPNT landline: 08 8941 9921

NAPNT mobile: 0438 883 225



Phone contact details - General

Alcohol and Drug Information Service (Northern Territory wide)
Freecall 1800 131 350

For detox services in the Top End call
08 8948 0087

Amity Community Services (A & D Counselling)
08 8981 8030

or

Territory Wide; 1800 629 683


Banyan House (Therapeutic Community);
08 8947 0832


NT AIDS and Hepatitis C Council

Darwin;- 08 8941 1711
Palmerston;- 08 8931 3676
Alice Springs;- 08 8953 3172


Sunrise Top End Drug and Alcohol Service
Darwin;- (08) 8981 4199


For phone numbers for crisis services (NT only) click here

If you think your organisation should be listed here,
email us .




Health services provided by the NAP for drug users

The NAP Peer Education Team provides a number of services/facilities:

Provision of pamphlets, posters, and other information and resources on health, legal and other issues faced by drug users

Provision of condoms

An extensive library with fiction and non-fiction books as well as a library of health journals etc

Internet access and computer lessons

Peer Support

Referral to appropriate agencies

The Underground Needle and Syringe Distribution Service

Safe needle/syringe disposal






The Underground

While the politicians and the beauraucrats still haggle about responsibility and funding, and the “Stop Human Behaviour” Police argue about the morality of providing a drug addict with the means to use illegal drugs safely, NAP decided that all it required was a cupboard …and a couple of masochistic volunteers.



The Underground exists because it has to. It is part of NAP’s Peer-based Harm Reduction Program which is fueled by necessity. Injecting drug users don’t use just from 9 to 5. Not everyone can keep a box of 100 needles under their bed or in their wardrobe.
ANYONE CAN BE A DRUG USER!

It’s a bit dodgy to pick up your injecting equipment in your lunch hour, while wearing your work clothes – hey, you’re a regular working Aussie, what else would you wear in the middle of a working day, and if you’re not working, the Darwin NSP isn’t open either, they keep regular working hours too – but it really is a bit dodgy to be picking up your cleanies when your boss could pull over any minute….so you need to be able to pick up sterile fits after work and/or get them somewhere.

We are primarily an "after hours" service with limited stocks available, and ask that regular users plan ahead and collect enough equipment from the Government's NSP at NT AIDS and Hepatitis C Council in
Wood St. to see them through.

But for those times when you're caught short, as we all are, we know, you can still shoot clean.

The underground is always open (barring acts of God or the police) at the following times:

Mon - Wed; 6:00pm - 10:00pm.
Thur - Fri; 6:00pm - Midnight.
Sat - 3:00pm - Midnight.
Sun/public hols - 10:00am - 10:00pm.

We are accessable at other times, but you need to ring first to be sure some-one is around to help you out.

To access the NAP underground exchange call the following numbers:

Phone contact details - NAP Underground

NAPNT landline: 08 8941 9921

NAPNT mobile: 0438 883 225

Note: These phone numbers change from time to time. Please check back with this page to ensure you are ringing the correct number. We are seeking Alice Springs-based volunteers. Please contact us on the numbers above if you are interested.





Needle/syringe disposal in the NT

The NT AIDS and Hepatitis C Council operate the only used equipment disposal facility in Darwin

The NAP underground can not take used injecting equipment.


What if I find a used syringe?

Occasionally, members of the general public may find syringes that have been improperly disposed of or discarded. Syringes are a potential health and safety hazard to those who may encounter them.

The needles on syringes may cause injuries such as cuts, punctures, abrasions, and, if contaminated with infectious organisms, may transmit communicable diseases.

Northern Territory law requires that syringes be disposed of in 'approved containers'. Individuals found in violation of the law are subject to fines or even a stint in jail.

The following procedure is intended to provide a method for members of the public to safely and legally dispose of discarded syringes which they may find in their community.


Handling Procedure

Use extreme caution when picking up syringes in order to prevent injury. Do not touch the needle.

It is recommended that syringes be picked up using pliers, tongs, or other similar tools. Additionally, heavy leather or canvas gloves should be worn when attempting to pick up the syringe.

Place the syringe in a rigid, puncture-proof container. The container should have a tight-fitting closure or lid. Containers such as a glass jar with a screw-on lid, a coffee can with a tight-fitting snaplid, or a heavy duty plastic milk jug with a screw-on lid would be acceptable containers. The lid or closure should also then be secured with strong tape.

Transport the container to the nearest Needle/Syringe Program ;


Penalties

Section 12 of the Northern Territory Misuse of Drugs Act sets out a number of penalties with regards to injecting equipment:


12. Possession of things for administering dangerous drugs

(1) A person who unlawfully possesses a thing (other than a hypodermic syringe or needle) for use in the administration of a dangerous drug is guilty of an offence.

Penalty: $2,000 or imprisonment for 2 years.


(2) A person, other than a medical practitioner, a pharmacist or a member of a class of persons authorized so to do by the Minister who supplies a hypodermic syringe or needle to another person, whether or not the other person is in the Territory, for use in the administration of a dangerous drug to that or another person is guilty of an offence.

Penalty: $2,000 or imprisonment for 2 years.


(3) It is a defence to a prosecution for an offence against subsection (2) if the defendant proves that he or she obtained the hypodermic syringe or needle from a medical practitioner, pharmacist or authorized person referred to in that subsection for the use of another person in the administration of a dangerous drug to that other person and the defendant supplied it to the other person, in its unused state, as soon as practicable after so obtaining it.

(4) A person who possesses a hypodermic syringe or needle who fails to use all reasonable care and take all reasonable precautions with it so as to avoid danger to the life, safety or health of another person is guilty of an offence.

Penalty: $2,000 or imprisonment for 2 years.


(5) A person who possesses a hypodermic syringe or needle that has been used in the administration of a dangerous drug who fails to dispose of the syringe or needle in the manner prescribed is guilty of an offence.

Penalty: $2,000 or imprisonment for 2 years.





Contact the NAP Peer Education Team


If you have a health related query, don't hesitate to send us an email [hq (at) napnt.org] or give the NAP HQ a call on 0438 883 225 and ask for a member of our peer education team.

Our postal address is:

NAP Peer Ed Team
PO Box 701
Parap
NT 0804 Australia





Health articles written by NAP members

Getting a Taste in the Top End

The limited options for drug users scoring on the black market in Darwin


Filtering Morphine By N.N.

Similar to New Zealand and parts of Canada, options for injecting opiophiles in the Top End are pretty much limited to various forms of morphine sulphate.

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Crisis Services in the Northern Territory

We can refer you to crisis accomodation, domestic violence and drug treatment programs if you require. Please call us on 0438 883 225, we will assist you through the process.

Please note that the NAP is not a crisis service.

If you are in crisis you might want to try one of the following services:
These services are all 24 hours, seven days per week.

CrisisLine (Northern Territory wide)
Freecall 1800 019 116

Kids Chat Line (Northern Territory wide)
Freecall 1800 332 333

Kids Help Line (Australia wide)
Freecall 1800 55 1800

Casy House Youth Refuge (Darwin)
08 8948 2044

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Information for young people

Young people are welcome to access all of the services provided by the NAP Peer Education Team .

If you are in crisis, click here for phone numbers of crisis services in the Northern Territory.

There are a number of links to services and programs for young people in the NT on our links page .

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NT Health Links for drug users

Members of the NAP believe that the best education and information exchange is done by users for users. The following are links to a range of sites that may be relevant to illicit/injecting drug users.


DRUG USER GROUPS IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY

TERRITORY USERS MAGAZINE
Magazine produced by the Territory Users Forum.
(The NAP Harm Reduction Team are currently the custodians of TUF).

BLOOD_BORNE VIRUSES
Info on blood-borne viruses such as HIV and Hep C compiled by local users

ALTERNATIVE HIV/AIDS SITES/INFORMATION
From our links page

WHERE DO I FIND CLEAN INJECTING EQUIPMENT?
See the list compiled by NAPNT Peer Education Team

DRUG TREATMENT SERVICES IN THE NT TUF has compiled a list of treatment programs available in the NT

MORE LOCAL HEALTH LINKS
More Northern Territory Health sites on our links page:

Alternative Health Practitioners
General
HIV and STIs
Indigenous health

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Australian Health Links for drug users

Members of the NAP believe that the best education and information exchange is done by users for users. The following are links to a range of sites that may be relevant to illicit/injecting drug users.

AUSTRALIAN INJECTING AND ILLICIT DRUG USERS LEAGUE
Australian produced resources for injecting drug users. Safer injecting, blood-borne viruses etc...

AUSTRALIAN DRUG USER GROUPS

NAP AUSTRALIAN HEALTH LINKS
More Australian Health sites on our links page

Drug treatment
General
Hepatitis
HIV and STIs
Alternative HIV/AIDS sites/groups
Indigenous health
Sex worker resources

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Global Health Links for drug users

Members of the NAP believe that the best education and information exchange is done by users for users. The following are links to a range of sites that may be relevant to illicit/injecting drug users.


DRUG USER GROUPS AROUND THE WORLD


HARM REDUCTION BROCHURE EXCHANGE
Heaps of health info for drug users in spanish and english. Stuff on safer injecting, vein care, drug interactions, hepatitis C and much more......

BETTER VEIN CARE AND SAFER INJECTION
Information from the USA. Easy to use and with excellent pictures and step by step details

THE VAULTS OF EROWID
We recommend this site for drug information

NAP GLOBAL HEALTH LINKS
More Global health sites on our links page

Drug treatment
HIV and STIs
Alternative HIV/AIDS sites/groups
Sex worker resources

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Disclaimer and Copyleft

General

This health page and the rest of the website [http://www.napnt.org] is provided as a resource for people who are interested in drug policy - reform and drug users' health issues.

Information on this website is intended as a general guide only. While care has been taken to ensure that the information contained on this site is complete and correct, the Network Against Prohibition (NAP) makes no representation as to the completeness, accuracy, reliability or suitability of the contents of this website.

The NAP does not offer any information on this website as a tool for treatment or counselling. We recommend that prior to making any decision based on any information on this website, you should obtain independent professional advice.

The NAP is not liable for any loss, injury or damage caused to any person in connection with the use of information on this website, whether or not the loss, injury or damage, was caused by any misrepresentation, negligence, omission or breach of duty on the part of the NAP.

Nothing on this web site is meant to be construed as either legal or medical advice. If you need legal or medical advice see either a lawyer or a doctor.


External Links

A link on this page, or anywhere else on the website [http://www.napnt.org], does not necessarily imply endorsement ofthat site or the information contained within it by the NAP, nor does it imply any endorsement of the organisation that owns the site. In fact, some of these sites belong to the enemy!


Copyleft or right?

The Network Against Prohibition adheres to the principles of Copyleft .

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