Projects

Projects - Impact of the Modification of Volatile Substance Products on the Behaviour of Inhalant Users

Source: Victorian Department of Human Services

This research was commissioned by the Victorian Department of Human Services (acting as the National Inhalant Abuse Taskforce secretariat) to explore the likely impact of product modification on the behaviour of inhalant users.

The research was designed to answer the following questions:

• What is the international and national experience of inhalant misuse (IM) product modification?
• What are the relative harms of other drugs that may be substituted for modified products?
• What is the likely impact of product modification on IM and associated harm?
• How would product modification differentially affect initiating users, regular users of other drugs who also use inhalants and chronic users, Indigenous and Non-Indigenous users or those in urban, rural and remote locations?

Research findings in the report provided to the National Inhalant Abuse Taskforce were based on:

• a review of the national and international literature considering IM product modification and the relative harms of other drugs which may be substituted;
• interviews conducted with 33 users and ex-users of IM products at four research sites in Victoria and Queensland including two urban areas, one rural centre and a remote Indigenous community; and
• research consultations with 26 expert workers across Australia.

Th project was carried out by Sarah MacLean, Peter d'Abbs and Jan Robertson-McMahon and completed in August 2005.

Contact: Sarah MacLean

Contact: smaclean@unimelb.edu.au