Who uses it?

• Most people who use heroin are over 30 years of age. But there are indications that there has recently been an increase in younger users.

• Heroin dependency can have a major impact on the health and social status of drug users. It can lead to a variety of health problems including increased risk of blood borne infectious diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV. It can also impact on social functioning and adversely affect participation in employment and education.

• Heroin use, particularly in combination with alcohol and benzodiazepines, can result in overdose. An overdose is characterised by respiratory depression and loss of consciousness. Without intervention a heroin overdose can result in death.

Current trends

• Price: $320 per gram; $50 per cap in 2000. Price seems to have possibly increased in 2001 due to the shortage of heroin in Sydney.

• Availability: There has been a progressive increase in the availability of heroin occurring nationally and internationally. However there are indications that since early 2001 there has been a decrease in the availability of heroin in Sydney.

• Purity: Average purity for 2000/01 was 65%. There are indications that the purity of heroin since early 2001 has dropped due to the current shortage of heroin in Sydney.

Statistics (1)

• In 2001, approximately 2% of the NSW population had tried heroin at least once, and 0.2% had used in the previous year.

• Heroin is most commonly injected.

• Opioid-related deaths among 15-44 years olds increased in Australia from around 400 in the mid 1990's to more than 700 in the late 90's. About 50% of these were in NSW.

Treatment

Services can be accessed by ringing..

• Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) -24hr hotline
  Tel (02) 9361 8000
  Toll free. 1800 422 599

• A range of treatment options are available for opioid dependence including:
  • detoxification inpatient, outpatient and at home
  • maintenance pharmacotherapy including methadone and buprenorphine
  • relapse prevention pharmacotherapy including naltrexone
  • rehabilitation
  • counselling.

What is NSW Health doing?

• Information resources have been provided as part of the Young Offenders Act Cautioning Scheme to ensure young people receive appropriate information when being cautioned by police.

• Funding of $215,000 per year has been provided for three years for telephone counselling, referral and support to Kids Help Line.

• The introduction of buprenorphine as an additional pharmacotherapy; over 500 medical practitioners currently approved to prescribe methadone will receive special education to provide both treatments.

• Guidelines for rapid detoxification using naltrexone have been developed; 45 clinicians have received training in delivering this treatment.

• A Medical Practitioners Pharmacotherapy Accreditation Manual has been developed and training provided to clinicians.

• A 'one-stop-shop' Service Delivery Model for young people in rural areas has been developed. The focus is on providing youth-friendly spaces, targeting information, recreation activities and access to services such as counselling and referral.

• A Heroin Fact Sheet has been developed for clinicians.

• NSW Heroin Overdose Prevention and Management Strategy (2000) publication is available.

• Needle and syringe programs operate throughout the state. The successful coverage has resulted in Australia maintaining one of the world's lowest rates of HIV infection among injecting drug users.

• Needle and syringe programs are being reoriented to encourage drug users into treatment.

• Family Drug Support has received additional funding to provide telephone advice and support to families experiencing problems with drug dependency.

• The NSW Government has invested an additional $50 million into drug treatment for heroin users. This has resulted in an increase in the number of available places in Methadone maintenance treatment, increased places for detox units and additional counselling and case management services for drug users.
  

1 Source: Australian Illicit Drug Report 1999-2000, Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence, commonwealth of Australia 2001