Is there a minimum age limit for clients to access sterile injecting equipment from a Needle and Syringe Program?
• The Poisons Amendment Regulations 1994 refers to NSP clients only as “person”. • That is, there is no mention of a minimum age at which a person may need access or be denied access to an NSP. • NSP staff are advised to follow harm reduction principles and assess whether refusal or access will pose an immediate perceived health risk to the juvenile client. It is recommended that when developing their policies, NSPs have explicit guidelines regarding juvenile access to sterile injecting equipment.
