Users News investigates the interaction between weed and psychedelics, diving into the scientific research and chatting to peers.

A few weeks ago, NSW Health and NUAA issued a drug alert around a high-dose MDMA pill containing a synthetic cathinone. But cathinones are not just appearing as adulterants. People are beginning to see them as desirable drugs in their own right.

Users News is here to give you some tips on how to use this emerging group of drugs safely.

The NSP (needle exchange) at 345 Crown St, Surry Hills is run by NUAA, the organisation that publishes Users News. There are some minor changes happening at the NSP.

This article is part 1 in a multi-part series exploring the question of safety for women participating in both psychedelic-assisted therapy and underground psychedelic journeys and reports of ethical violations.

Content warning: This article discusses the topic of sexual assault, rape and non-consensual drug use.

Ketamine use is at an all time high in Australia but unfortunately not everyone is being sold the real thing. In early November NSW Health released a drug alert about MDMA tablets spiked with a ketamine analogue known as 2F-NENDCK. Ketamine analogues mimic ketamine’s chemical makeup but they can produce different effects including stronger detachment from reality or hallucinations.

Steroid use is surging in Australia, and it’s no longer confined to any one particular social group. For those looking into the drugs or just starting out though, it’s hard to know where to source your knowledge and clean equipment. On your behalf, Users News has sifted through the online minefield and chatted to people working in harm reduction. Here’s what we learned.

Amid the rolling waves of psy trance dugga-dugga-dugga at Dragon Dreaming Festival, an anonymous community member roamed the crowd, testing people’s drugs under the radar. Undertaken with home reagent testing kits, it wasn’t a legal venture. Users News spoke to this harm reduction crusader about why they chose to test punters’ drugs and what they discovered

Users News dives into the issue of drugs and consent.

Trippy edibles are rising in popularity. Users News gives the lowdown on legal and illegal plant-based highs and the dangers of sourcing these treats from online sellers.

As the picking season ramps up in NSW, we’ve chatted to two peer educators in the plant medicine space, Dr Liam Engel and Caine Barlow to find out what NOT to do when foraging.

A class of synthetic opioids called nitazenes, which are stronger than fentanyl, are beginning to hit Sydney streets with NSW Health issuing two recent health warnings about the drug.

People whose drug preferences are for stimulants and party drugs may not see the need to know about opioid harm reduction, or carry Naloxone, which can reverse opioid overdoses. However, with highly potent opioids such as nitazenes, are being used to cut cocaine, meth and MDMA, it’s important to be aware of the risk of taking opioids unknowingly, and what to do about it.

Opioids (heroin and synthetic opioids) have recently been detected in drugs sold as crystal meth in NSW. This unexpected mix is a reminder of how important it is to always practice harm reduction. We pulled this guide together to address the harms of getting unexpected opioids in your meth.

NUAA and NDARC have collaborated on research asking how people engage with drug alerts. The results show – what we already knew - that drug alerts are making us safer.

It is Australia’s most popular illicit drug and probably the most popular drug worldwide. Can you overdose from it? The short answer is yes, you can, but not fatally: cannabis alone will not kill you. But how much is too much?

“Your infection markers are through the roof ... Ultrasound found an aneurysm the size of a golf ball in your femoral artery. We’ll need to do surgery and I’ll be honest with you: it’s a high-risk procedure.” My mind flitted back to the evening I think it started when my hands were shaking so much from my medication regimen that I hit my artery. Of course, I was so impatient to get my fix in me that I didn’t bother with swabs. Bad mistake.

Golden staph is a nasty bug and surprisingly common — 8 out of 10 people have it on their skin. If you don’t swab, you can inject it into your bloodstream, and, as Sally explains, it’s not something you want in your bloodstream! So swab!

Nerida’s Story — “More importantly, I have come to believe that I have the right and responsibility to keep myself safe and healthy, and make my own decisions. I am owning my own body and veins.”

A number of things come up for users at this time of year: organising pharmacotherapy doses and inter-state transfers; wondering if your dealer is going to be working on Christmas Day; sorting out injecting equipment when NSP hours change over Christmas as staff have a well-earned break! ...But for many of us, there is no break from being a user. And the holiday period brings additional health issues for users, particularly overdose prevention and bloodborne virus awareness.

“We’ve lost too much mob!” is the theme of 3 posters about opioid overdose that NUAA has released that have Indigenous communities as their target audience. They are stunning to look at, thanks to artwork by Aboriginal artist Steve Morgan.

Kids, especially the younger ones, love to test how random things they discover taste! NUAA has published 2 posters: the first raising awareness on storing meds where children are not likely to find them and the other educating on how to recognise the signs of opioid overdose in kids.

Just because the 'love and universal oneness' vibe is peaking, doesn't mean that everybody has pure intentions. There are still opportunistic dickheads out there.

'For 20 years my life has revolved around that overdose.'

This article takes a look at the effectiveness of filtering pills or capsules. These photographs were made using MS Contin and Kapanol mixed in cold water but can equally relate to Oxycontin and other pharmaceutical drugs. A note here: hot water is dangerous because it can appear to dissolve particles but these will reform later when cooled down - in your veins.  

Ice, crystal meth, shabu … whatever you call it, these tips will help you remain safe when you use it.

Some people who inject drugs don’t have much trouble finding veins, and don’t need to use a tourniquet, while others have always used them as part of their injecting practice. Other people decide to add tournies to their injecting routine as they get older and their veins get harder to find over time. We thought it was timely to do a bit of a review so people could develop or update skills and techniques in using tournies to get the most out of them. 

Legal and safety issues around drugs and sex work.