DRUG dealers are making illicit drugs cheaper and offering them on credit, increasing the risk of people becoming trapped in addiction and potentially fuelling the spread of HIV, according to the Rainbow Pride Foundation.
Acting chief executive Asaeli Sinusetaki said information gathered during the organisation’s moonlight clinic outreach earlier this month showed that drugs were becoming increasingly accessible to people living and using drugs on the streets.
“From what we’re hearing on the ground, the drug lords are making it a lot more cheaper for them, and for some, they’re giving credit,” he said.
Mr Sinusetaki said credit arrangements could deepen dependency by leaving users with debts to suppliers and making it harder for them to break away from drug use.
He said injecting drug use was also common among some users seeking a quick high, while limited finances often meant several people pooled money to buy drugs and shared them.
“Nobody can buy drugs for themselves like they do overseas. In Fiji, we all have to share.”
Mr Sinusetaki warned that sharing drugs could also involve needles, increasing the risk of HIV transmission and other infections.
He called for the Government to urgently implement a needle and syringe exchange program as part of a wider harm-reduction response.
“Harm reduction doesn’t mean that we’re promoting harm reduction. We have to do harm reduction now because we have to do prevention now,” he said.
He warned that delays could come at a significant human cost.
“The longer the Government is going to take to make a decision, the higher the number of people that’s going to be infected, affected, or even die from HIV and AIDS.”
