HIV Fear Over Cocaine Trend

OUTBREAKS of HIV could occur in Melbourne if a trend for injectable cocaine
took off, a leading drugs researcher has warned.

Dr Nick Crofts, from the Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research, said
users injected 10 to 20 times daily.

The cocaine was available on the streets of Cabramatta in Sydney and it was
likely to appear in Melbourne also, he said.

"It's starting to become a street drug (in Sydney) which means it's more
likely to be injected," he said.

"We're getting reports of young intravenous drug users starting to inject
cocaine."

Dr Crofts said that Canada, like Australia, had needle exchange programs
which helped reduce the risk of HIV transmission among injecting drug users.

"But since the appearance of the injectable coke trend in Montreal and
Vancouver there have been recent explosive outbreaks of HIV there," Dr
Crofts said.

"Injecting up to 20 times daily means there's more likelihood of sharing
needles and re-using yours, which increases the chance of confusion and
using other people's. That's what happened in Canada."

Dr Crofts said needle exchange programs and pharmacies in Australia probably
supplied half to two-thirds of needles used by injecting drug users.

"If we can't supply enough needles now what will happen if they're using 20
a day 96 needle exchanges can't even keep up with supply for two to three a
day," he said.

"Funding for needle exchanges is available but governments won't increase it
(funding) if it (the trend) starts in Melbourne."

He said cocaine never had been a street drug here and was more likely to be
used by rock stars and businessmen because it was expensive.

But a glut on the world market meant the price was down and amphetamine
users might choose cocaine if it was cheaper.

"It's very common that people inject coke in the US but that phenomenon is
new to Australia," he said.

Needle exchange programs in Australia helped to limit the spread of HIV so
that only about 8per cent of people with HIV had contracted it from
injecting drug use as did less than 3 per cent of people with AIDS.

Dr Crofts is founding director of the world's first centre to help reduce
the damage caused by illicit drugs 96 the Centre for Harm Reduction, set up
by the Macfarlane Burnet centre and the Australian Drug Foundation.

A Victoria Police spokesman said some Victorians already injected cocaine.

Speaking to the Herald Sun for a feature on the 15th anniversary of
Australia's first AIDS death, Dr Crofts said while Australia had done well
in containing the HIV epidemic, certain groups were still at risk.

Checked-by: "Rolf Ernst"