Sam Keitaanpaa is a NT born, raised and educated pharmacist currently working in community pharmacy and undertaking his PhD in access to smoking cessation medicines and is the Chair of the Health Providers Alliance Northern Territory as well as the Vice President of the SA/NT Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. Sam is a strong advocate for harm minimsation approaches and has delivered education to patients and health professionals around Codeine rescheduling, Medicinal Cannabis, Opioid Pharmacotherapy and supply programs, Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs and Culturally Safe practice. Sam has also sought to improve the access to medicines by Territorians living rough and those in residential rehabilitation and is currently working on a community naloxone awareness program.

Episode 13 Illicit | Substances in use

In this episode, Sam discusses illicit drugs that are being used in Australia right now, the potential harms from abusing prescriptions medications, the options available in pharmacy to deal with drug reliance (including naloxone) and where to get help when needed.

5 Indispensable Tips

1. Harm minimisation means exactly that, it's not abstinence, it's doing something in the least risky way
2. Know what is available, even if you don’t think you want to use it yet; its easier to access later if you want
3. Build relationships with services you are/might use for harm minimisation. Getting you know your GP/Pharmacist can make it a lot easier to engage later on things you feel less comfortable with
4. If you don’t feel you are being supported, say so. We are health professionals and if there is some personality clash, we won't take it personally
5. Small steps. Whether you are occasionally taking drugs or it’s an issue you want to tackle, just trying each time to do it a little safer, planning beforehand or replacing high risk activities with lower risk ones will eventually all add up.

Links

Alcohol and Drug Foundation: https://adf.org.au/

Australian Government Department of Health: https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/drugs/about-drugs/how-to-reduce-or-quit-drugs

Alcohol and Other Drug hotline: 1800 250 015

Get in contact with Sam:

Twitter: @SKeitaanpaa