Drugs project moves in (From Free Press Series)

Drugs project moves in

A NEW project has arrived in the town to help combat the area's growing drug use problem.

The group is called the Kaleidoscope Project and is a church sponsored initiative which provides support to people who need it.

Monmouth is no exception to the growing drugs problem which can be seen in towns and cities across Britain.

The project aims to provide facilities which can be used to safely dispose of drugs.

The Kaleidoscope Project works alongside other agencies such as the police and social services to try and increase the help available.

The project has just been launched in Monmouth, so drug users have the chance to access clean syringes and to be given health advice.

The project group would also like to see a pharmacy based syringe exchange and generally increase the help available to drug users.

John Lipscomb a senior project worker said: "Obviously you are not going to find a drug user on every street corner, as it is not in their nature to do so.

"Drug users tend to use it in private and away from others, so when views from afar compare the problem to binge drinking, it seems a lot less of a problem than it really is.

"We try to maintain as much harm minimisation as possible and we want to help provide an access point for the drug users and to provide a safe way of disposing of drugs.

"This way we help the user and the community because it decreases the risk of infection. We want to try and help them keep the drug use under control and if a user wants to stop we try to help him or her achieve that goal."

Members of the project travel around in an American style mobile home and will visit Monmouth every Tuesday, at the far end of the public car park by Chippenham Mead, behind Cornwall House, from noon to 2.30pm.

Facilities from the project are free.