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KnowYourStuffNZ

@knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social

36 followers 53 following 240 posts

Drug checking and harm reduction service at events and in the community in Aotearoa since 2015. World's first legal drug checking operation, doing the thing legally since 2021 😊

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KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · May 15

Just getting a law changed and becoming a world-first. Y'know, the usual 😉

www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Drug checking to be permanent after law passes third reading

Drug-checking services have been given the all-clear to keep testing the safety of illicit substances at festivals and other locations over summer.

www.rnz.co.nz

Reposted by KnowYourStuffNZ

Drug Policy Facts @drugpolicyfacts.bsky.social · 10h

Recordings from the 2025 NDARC Research Symposium are now available
www.unsw.edu.au/research/nda...

2025 NDARC Annual Research Symposium

www.unsw.edu.au

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KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 9h

Kia ora e hoa mai i Kirikiriroa! Kua tae mai ta matou whare haumanu tātari matū ia marama 🙂

💛 Ina: 4-7pm, 11 Whiringa-ā-Nuku
💛 Kei hea: L2, 11 Garden Place, Te pokapū o Kirikiriroa

Ko te tātaritanga matū he kore utu, he muna, he kore-whakawa, he 100% te ture 😘

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 9h

Hi Hamilton friends! We've got our regular drug checking coming your way this weekend! 😃

💛 When: 4-7pm, Saturday 11 October
💛 Where: L2, 11 Garden Place, Hamilton

Drug checking is free, confidential, non-judgmental, and 100% legal, so bring us your gear and find out what's in your stuff 😘

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 2d

🚩Danger signs = Slowed breathing, slowed heartbeat, nausea, passing out

Reduce your risks by
✅ Checking your juice at a drug checking clinic
✅ Start with a small amount & wait for 1/2 an hour to see what happens
✅ Sticking to 1 substance for the night

Find a clinic
thelevel.org.nz/drug-checkin...

Drug checking clinics - The Level

thelevel.org.nz

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 2d

Hi friends! There's been an increase in harm from etomidate (space oil) vapes in the last few weeks 😕

Etomidate is an anaesthetic. This means
🚩it doesn't play well with downers (ket, benzos, booze)
🚩it's dose sensitive - it's easy to accidentally take too much

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thelevel.org.nz/news-and-sto...

What is space oil? - The Level

Space oil, k-pods, space vapes, eto - you may have heard of a ‘new’ drug being sold in vape pens over the last year. But what is this mystery drug?

thelevel.org.nz

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KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 3d

Added: Untrimmed Table 10 from the Blake Palmer Report

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 3d

More receipts:

Department of Corrections report on over-representation of Maori in the criminal justice system www.corrections.govt.nz/__data/asset...

Legislative Design and Advisory Committee www.ldac.org.nz/guidelines/s...

www.corrections.govt.nz

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 3d

Receipts:
Ministry of Justice data tables by specific offence:
www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sect...

Te Whatu Ora data on addiction services:
Clients - Number of clients accessing specialist services x year x team type x setting = inpatient
tewhatuora.shinyapps.io/mental-healt...

Data tables | New Zealand Ministry of Justice

Justice data tables

www.justice.govt.nz

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 3d

Next week we’re looking at the context around MoDA’s inception - the laws we had at the time, what the risks were, and how we fit in the international drug regulations landscape.

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Thanks to the staff at @nationallibrarynz.bsky.social for helping us with the Blake Palmer Report 😊

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 3d

Evidence from the Blake Palmer Report 1969 shows drug harms have increased dramatically since MoDA was implemented:

Addiction treatment centre admissions - 1969: 559, 2024: 3,799
Drug-related arrests - 1959-1969: 420, 2015-2025: 10,489
Judicial racism against Maori 1969: rare. 2025: Systemic

3/n

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 3d

If a law is effective it will reduce the harms it was put in place to reduce. Any unintended side effects will be minimal. It’ll move society forward in a positive direction and people will obey that law.

Using these criteria, MoDA is not an effective set of laws.

2/n

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 3d

Hi friends! Welcome to Mythbuster Monday :)

October’s the 50th anniversary of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 - the legislation that informs how Aotearoa treats all things drug-related. This month’s myth is the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (MoDA) is effective.

1/n

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 3d

Kia ora e hoa mai i Porirua! Kua tae mai ta matou whare haumanu tātari matū ia marama

💛 Ina: 11am - 3pm, 11 Whiringa-ā-nuku
💛 Kei hea: 4 Lydney Place, Porirua (i te ritenga atu o pāparakauta Metro me te pāparakauta)

Ko te tātaritanga matū he kore utu, he muna, he kore-whakawa, he 100% te ture 🙂

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 3d

Hi Kāpiti friends! We've got our regular Porirua drug checking clinic this weekend 😃

💛 When: 11am - 3pm, 11th October
💛 Where: 4 Lydney Place, Porirua (Opposite Metro Bar and the mural)

Drug checking is free, confidential, non-judgmental, and 100% legal, so come & find out what's in your stuff 💛

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 3d

Hi Queenstown friends! We're bringing our drug checking clinics back to your neck of the woods for summer😄

💛 When: 5-9pm, 10th October
💛 Where: The Supper Room, Queenstown Memorial Centre, 1 Memorial Street, Queenstown

Drug checking is free, confidential, non-judgmental, and 100% legal😘

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 6d

Hi friends! September's blog is a little bit late, and we're sorry, but it's definitely worth the wait 😄

knowyourstuff.nz/knowyourscie...

KnowYourScience 4 - Reagents and fungi - Know Your Stuff NZ

We went on a science adventure to see if magic mushrooms react consistently to Ehrlich reagent. Theory says yes, but will other fungi?

knowyourstuff.nz

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 6d

💛Study participants had a more accepting attitude towards buprenorphine and methadone after completing the training
💛They also were more likely to offer non-abstinence based treatments to patients
💛However, participants were still unwilling to work at supervised injection sites 😕

3/3

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 6d

This was a study aimed at healthcare professionals to help reduce stigma around drug harm reduction. 76 people from Utah participated in the course.

The training focused on providing more info around safe injection sites, using meds to treat opioid use disorders, and stigma around PWUD.

2/n

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 6d

Hi friends! It's Peer Review Friday 🥳🥳🥳

This week's article is Pilot Testing an Asynchronous Online Harm Reduction and Pharmacotherapy Stigma Reduction Training for Substance Use Treatment Professionals.

1/n

journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 9d

Kia ora e hoa mai i Tāmaki Makaurau! Kei te haere mai ta matou whare haumanu tātari matū i te Rāhoroi 😀

💛 Ina: 6-9pm, 4 Whiringa-ā-nuku
💛 Kei hea: The Button Factory, 2 Abbey Street, Te pokapū o Tāmaki Makaurau

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 9d

Kia ora e hoa mai i Te Whanganui-a-Tara! Kua tae mai ta matou whare haumanu tātari matū ia marama i te Rāhoroi

💛 Ina: 11am-2pm, 4 Whiringa-ā-nuku
💛 Kei hea: Newtown Community Centre, i te kokonga o nga tiriti o Rintoul St me Colombo St, Newtown.

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 9d

Hi Wellington friends! We've got our October drug checking clinic coming your way😃

💛 When: 11am-2pm, 4th October
💛 Where: Newtown Community Centre, Corner Colombo and Rintoul Streets

Drug checking is free, confidential, non-judgmental, and 100% legal, so come and find out what's in your stuff 😘

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KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 9d

Hey Auckland friends! We're kicking off October's fortnightly drug checking clinics on Saturday 😀

💛 When: 6-9pm, 4th October
💛 Where: The Button Factory, 2 Abbey Street, Auckland Central

Drug checking is free, confidential, non-judgmental, & 100% legal, so come and find out what's in your stuff 😘

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KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 10d

Receipts:
Inequality + addiction iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...
Recovery is common www.taylorfrancis.com/books/978100...
Support research www.taylorfrancis.com/books/978100...

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To ensure we keep this website safe, please can you confirm you are a human by ticking the box below.

iopscience.iop.org

KnowYourStuffNZ @knowyourstuffnz.bsky.social · 10d

Harm reduction offers a better way. Grounded in honesty and compassion, it recognises that while drugs carry risk, most consumption is not problematic, addiction is not inevitable, and recovery is common.

Myth busted: trying a drug once does not guarantee addiction.

4/4

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