General Harm Reduction

• Know what you are buying

• Establish relationship with dealer

• Be flexible with intake method– Be willing to change when favorite method is

not available or safe(snort when can’t have clean needle; skin pop when light too dim)

• Take your time

Safer snorting

• Choose a safe place to chop up comfortably• Chop up fine• Steady hand not to drop• Snort on clean surface• Laminated plastic card, easy to clean• Alternate nostrils• Keep snorting tubes clean/don’t share• Put few drops of water/saline in nose after

snorting

Safer smoking

• White powder in cigarettes

• Brown base and tar smoke on foil

• If chasing use foil tube

• Use small flame for cooking

• Don’t hold smoke in lungs

• Keep inhaler w/you with asthma

Safer injecting

• Only skin pop or muscle w/easy dissolve drug

• Add acid/vitamin C to brown base

• Heat even if easily dissolvable(15 sec)

• Sharp sterile syringe

• Clean cooker, new cotton

• Fresh water

Safer injecting continued

• Use smallest needle possible• If you must share (needle and cooker)

– Wash syringe w/water– Rinse twice with bleach– Rinse again with water

• Keep shooting and cleaning water separate• Clean injection site w/soap and water then

alcohol pad• Rotate injection sites gives time to heal