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A Q&A with the Student Who Turned Drug Use Into Protest

FEATURE | RONGOA / DRUGS

Written by Anonymous | Contributing Writer


In your view, what does real harm reduction look like, and how is it currently falling short in New Zealand? 


Drug education in Aotearoa is flawed. Anyone who has tried cannabis even once has probably realised that their experience bears little resemblance to the propagandised messaging we were fed in school. I think real harm reduction entails destigmatisation and an unbiased pedagogical approach. 


People will use Illicit substances. Simple as that. Prohibition and an abstinence agenda do not work. Harmreduction.org calls it “meeting people who use drugs where they’re at,” which I think is the first crucial step if we ever want to reduce drug-related harms. Real harm reduction starts by acknowledging that not all drug users are junkies or people who’ve “chosen to throw their life away”, but also used by your teachers, neighbours, or parents.


Secondly, we need an honest education and messaging that doesn’t moralise or fearmonger.


“If youngsters are told things about drugs which they know perfectly well are not entirely accurate, it may lead to them dismissing the entire message.” —UK Home Affairs Committee (2002)


As cynical as I often am, I’d argue that our starting point in New Zealand is stronger than in many countries. And while I have my reservations about Christopher Luxon, it’s genuinely reassuring to see even a conservative government protect pill-testing services. Unfortunately though, we remain too reliant on criminalisation, which disproportionately affects Māori. In addition, we desperately need legal supervised consumption sites. In 2024, The Lancet published a 9 page study in relation to the Toronto based sites, and findings showed that “fatal overdoses declined by 67 percent within 500 metres of locations offering this kind of harm reduction program.” The evidence is clear: taking a harm reduction approach saves lives.


What’s your method when approaching a new substance? Do you see it more as a ritual, an experiment, or something else entirely?


On every occasion that I found myself about to self-administer a new compound, whether for journalistic output, recreation or otherwise, my methodology boils down to the famous “10 Commandments Of Safer Drug Use” (Drug Users Bible, DMT). This list can be found online, but the key ones are as follows. I always start with research. It bears repeating, but holy shit, research! I quote the above book: “There is no imperative to rush, but there is an imperative to get it right”. I know it’s preachy but you risk your life every time you take a drug, whether it be alcohol or amphetamines. Having an understanding of duration, dosage, onset and combinations can make all the difference between a good time and a destructive one. 


Next, it blows my tiny mind every time I hear of people who don’t test their drugs. We have all likely heard horror stories, or possibly know a victim of laced drugs. This isn’t something to take lightly. Know what you are taking. Reagent kits are cheap and legal, but better yet, companies such as The Level and Knowyourstuff provide incredible non-judgmental, free drug testing services in your neighbourhood. It’s fast and reliable. Don’t be a fool. 


Weigh your dosages. It’s almost frightening how many people are content with eyeballing drugs. Take it from me (the guy who had a very frightening 2C-B experience this way), there are no tips or tricks that work. Cheap and reliable milligram scales can be sourced in essentially any Shosha. If you can afford $100 worth of gear before Laneway, you can afford $30 scales.  


In order to keep safety as a top priority, I always ensure I keep a journal with all the dates and dosages of the drugs I have taken. That way, I can keep track of resistance and any potential negative combinations or cross tolerance. For example, if I were to have done MDMA this month, it would be imperative I wait at least 3 weeks (but preferably longer) before I can touch Dextromethorphan (DXM). The app I use is called “PsychonautWiki Journal”. 


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What have been your best and worst experiences with substances, and what did they teach you? 


It’s certainly hard to boil down a best experience, but I know the answer will be found within the realm of psychedelics. A likely contender would be my first mescaline trip. A deeply pulchritudinous and eye-widening experience. Although not unique by any means, I think it helped me have a greater appreciation of the world around me. 

As for bad, I think the immense bodily discomfort and full-scale vascular constrictions I experienced whilst under the influence of Sinicuichi (an Aztecian ethnobotanical) could be a contender. A very uncomfortable trip that really taught me not to underestimate the warnings of those who have gone before me. 


Is there a particular substance you feel has been especially misunderstood, either demonised or overhyped?


Demonised? Nangs or Nitrous Oxide, 100%. This could be an essay in itself, but the abridged version: responsible adult use of nitrous rarely causes harm when proper precautions are taken. If you’re avoiding oxygen deprivation, not asphyxiating yourself with repeated rebreathes from balloons, using quality food-grade cartridges, dosing appropriately and taking B12 supplementation, occasional use is low risk. I say this not as a means of encouragement, but as a means to help destigmatise and change the perception of responsible users. Shockingly, we do exist. 


Nangs are often misunderstood and unfairly vilified. So much so, I’ve likely lost some readers who haven’t even heard me out yet. While not harmless, its risks are frequently exaggerated, especially in the media, due to cherry picking the worst of the worst cases. I believe this is rooted in classist attitudes. The same substance used safely in medical and dental settings is suddenly treated as dangerous when used recreationally by young or poor users. Much of the panic around nangs isn’t about the drug, but about the users who are seen using it.


I’ve seen several calls for criminalisation. Prohibition only worsens outcomes and would make supply unregulated and education scarce. Countries that have restricted nitrous access have seen black markets emerge and health risks increase.


Ultimately, criminalising nitrous doesn’t protect anyone. It just endangers users, especially youth and marginalised communities, while ignoring the fact that nitrous is demonstrably less harmful than legal substances like alcohol or tobacco. Harm reduction, not punishment. Being honest about the risks, but not fear-mongering with misinformation. See below “The New Zealand drug harms ranking study: A multi‑criteria decision analysis”, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in September 2023, in which Nitrous Oxide sits right next to abstinence.  


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Sources:

National Harm Reduction Coalition. (n.d.). Principles of harm reduction. https://harmreduction.org/about-us/principles-of-harm-reduction/

CP24. (2024, February 21). Drug overdose deaths lower in Toronto neighbourhoods with supervised consumption sites: Study. https://www.cp24.com/news/2024/02/21/drug-overdose-deaths-lower-in-toronto-neighbourhoods-with-supervised-consumption-sites-study/

New Zealand Drug Foundation. (n.d.). Drivers of change 2. https://drugfoundation.org.nz/news-and-reports/drivers-of-change-2

UK Parliament. (2012, April 24). Drugs: Breaking the cycle. Home Affairs Committee. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmhaff/184/120424.htm

Radio New Zealand. (2019, October 2). NZ First block drug checking: 'Stick to things that are safe'. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/400088/nz-first-block-drug-checking-stick-to-things-that-are-safe

Government of Canada. (n.d.). Supervised consumption sites. https://health-infobase.canada.ca/supervised-consumption-sites/

PsychonautWiki. (n.d.). PsychonautWiki Journal. https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/PsychonautWiki_Journal

TripSit. (n.d.). Nitrous oxide. https://wiki.tripsit.me/wiki/Nitrous_Oxide

PsychonautWiki. (n.d.). Nitrous oxide. https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Nitrous_oxide

Ministry of Health NZ. (2023, August 10). 2023 drug harm index published. https://www.health.govt.nz/news/2023-drug-harm-index-published





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