September 17, 2021
Lockdown pressure sparks new drug website
The Drug Foundation has brought forward the launch of its new website The Level because of the way people may have turned to drugs and alcohol during the lockdown.
Chief executive Sarah Helm says during last year’s level lockdown Pākehā use of alcohol went up.
Almost half of Māori drank less – but 22 per cent drank more, and continued drinking more heavily after the lockdown ended.
She says those sorts of results highlighted the need to get honest and accurate information to drug users and their families about the substances they may be talking about and how to get help or reduce harm.
“We’re trying to also not just have a website but build up an online community so we can share important information with people that might be relevant to what’s happening in society, it might be a new drug doing the rounds we need to communicate with people about, so we can continue to increase and improve people’s health and well being,” Ms Helm says.
She says the big drug story today is the Pfizer vaccine – and many drug users are in what the government would call harder to reach populations.