Three decades on, stigma remains 'huge barrier' to care for drug users

Memorial in its 31st year spotlights enduring 'stigma' on drug users In short: Advocates say people are continuing to die from preventable overdoses, and stigma is a major barrier to seeking help. Drug-related deaths have broadly declined in the ACT, amid initiatives to improve supports. It comes as Australia records its "deadliest" year for overdoses. When Hayley Shaw was 14 she nearly died from an overdose, and was saved by a friend called Daniel. "There was one particular occasion where I overdosed, and woke up to Daniel giving me mouth-to-mouth, trying to get me breathing again," she said. Speaking at a memorial for drug overdose victims in Yarralumla in Canberra's south, Ms Shaw recalled how she started using drugs. "When I was 14 years old, I started using heroin with my dad at Ainslie Village," she said. "Looking back I can see it wasn't an appropriate environment for a 14-year-old girl, but at the time it was home." Two years after saving her life, Daniel was diagnosed with cancer. He was on a methadone program for drug detoxification at the same time. "When he became seriously unwell and was experiencing significant pain, he wasn't given adequate pain relief," Ms Shaw said. "Daniel eventually tried to manage that pain himself. "Twelve months after being diagnosed with cancer, Daniel died from an overdose. He was 29." Ms Shaw said a toxicology report showed six different drugs in Daniel's system, but it did not show the person behind the report. "It doesn't tell you about the cancer. It doesn't tell you about the pain. It doesn't tell you about someone trying desperately to manage that pain," she said. "And it doesn't tell you about the barriers that people who use drugs can face when they ask the medical system for help." Calls to see addiction as a health, not criminal issue Reducing the stigma around addiction is one of the focuses of the annual Remembrance Ceremony. It began 31 years ago, and this week families, friends and advocates gathered to remember loved ones who have died from illicit drug use. Among them was Ben Harkness, a GP with Directions Health Service who runs a drop-in clinic in Canberra. "Stigma still remains a huge barrier in terms of access to treatment,"he said. That is despite the ACT becoming the first Australian jurisdiction to decriminalise small amounts of illicit drugs including cocaine, heroin, ice and MDMA in 2023. "People have had pretty unpleasant disappointing interactions with the mainstream healthcare system in the past, so when they do need help they're very reluctant to go and access that help through fear of judgement, through fear of discrimination and stigma," Dr Harkness said. Drug deaths have declined in the ACT since 2020, when the territory held the nation's highest rate of drug-induced deaths, peaking at 12 deaths per 100,000 people, according to data from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. The 2024 rate was 5.6 deaths per 100,000 people, or 28 registered drug-induced deaths. But this year, Australia recorded its deadliest year on record for drug overdoses. Loading...The ACT has also seen a spate of drug-related deaths in recent months, sparking reminders to carry naloxone, a nasal spray which can quickly reverse overdose effects. Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy (CAHMA) executive director Chris Gough felt initiatives in the ACT like the drug-checking service CanTEST, and legislative reforms had "made a real impact", but there was still a lot of work to do. "The drug laws … have also made a real difference in the way that people who use drugs can hold their head up and realise that if their drug use gets out of control that it's not this kind of shameful thing, and that they can go forward and get help from professionals who are going to treat them with respect and dignity," Mr Gough said. "Until we really embed that 'support, don't punish' narrative into our world, and we keep on thinking of people who use drugs as 'others' and not members of our family and not deserving of care and love and support, these deaths are going to keep on happening."