Exchange Drug Needles To Stop A.I.D.S. Spread? (Press, 9 October 1987)

On 9 October 1987, the Social Services Select Committee of the New Zealand Parliament was presented with submissions regarding the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill, which aims to permit drug users to legally acquire clean needles and syringes as a preventive measure against A.I.D.S. Dr Geoffrey Robinson from the Wellington Alcohol and Drug Centre noted that many drug users share needles out of necessity rather than habit, raising concerns about the potential spread of contamination. He proposed that a needle exchange scheme should be implemented, where users would be required to exchange their used needles for clean ones to minimise the risk of infected equipment circulating. Gary McGrath, a spokesman for the New Zealand I.V. League, expressed worries that such exchange locations could be subjected to police surveillance, making drug users reluctant to seek help in environments where their anonymity might be compromised. He explained that drug users typically shun formal drug centres, as only a small percentage would benefit from such facilities. He suggested that pharmacies represented a more feasible public service option for implementing needle exchanges. Both Dr Robinson and Mr McGrath agreed that any needle exchange initiative should be paired with education and counselling efforts aimed at reducing H.I.V. transmission and encouraging treatment for drug dependency. They pointed to successful anonymous exchange programmes in countries like the Netherlands, Australia, and Britain, which have resulted in drug users seeking additional support and advice. McGrath proposed including educational materials about safe sex along with the syringes, and providing resources such as the A.I.D.S. Foundation hotline and contact information for the I.V. League. The statistics presented revealed that only about 10 per cent of drug users in New Zealand could be classified as addicts, while the majority—up to 25,000 individuals—were occasional or recreational users. He pointed out that habitual users generally own their syringes, placing the larger group, which includes casual users, at a higher risk of disease transmission from shared needles. He also noted a worrying trend of increasing hard-core users in rural regions due to the relocation of home drug manufacturing operations away from urban areas, citing a local survey that uncovered 25 homebake operations in a small town of 3,000 people within a single month.

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