Stories
Anna’s story – The battle of my career, versus my dependence
I am the youngest of 7, a working-class family. I am a high school dropout. I was the tender age…
July 7 2025
For Immediate Release
The Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy (CAHMA) welcomes the release of the ACT Harm Reduction Cost-Benefit Analysis, which confirms what people in the community and the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug (ATOD) sector have long known: harm reduction is effective, and it’s a smart investment.
The report finds that existing harm reduction services in the ACT — including take-home naloxone (THN), needle and syringe programs (NSP), opioid agonist treatment (OAT), CanTEST drug checking, and peer-led supports through CAHMA — deliver a return of $10.80 for every dollar spent. In a sector that runs on the smell of an oily rag, this level of impact is extraordinary.
As the organisation that initiated Australia’s first THN program in 2012, CAHMA is proud — though not surprised — by the program’s proven effectiveness. In fact, the report shows that take-home naloxone has the highest cost-benefit ratio of any intervention assessed — returning $17.80 in economic and social value for every $1 invested. This is a powerful endorsement of peer-led programs like CAHMA’s, and a clear signal that increasing access to naloxone is not only lifesaving, but an incredibly cost-effective use of public funds.
We note with concern that funding originally earmarked to develop a Safe Injecting Facility (SIF) — including costing and location scoping — was instead redirected to produce this report. While the report’s findings broadly support harm reduction, the cost modelling for a SIF relies on Sydney’s MSIC, applying figures that overstate what a nurse and peer-led model would realistically cost in Canberra. CAHMA and other providers have long proposed a co-located, community-based approach using existing infrastructure that would significantly reduce costs. We urge the ACT Government not to let this modelling deter progress on a service the community continues to strongly support.
While the report gives drug checking services a modest cost-benefit ratio under current conditions, CAHMA believes the full value of these services is yet to be fully captured. As the peer organisation supporting CanTEST, we’ve seen firsthand how drug checking empowers safer decision-making, strengthens early warning systems, and builds trust with people who use drugs. We fully support continued and expanded investment in drug checking.
This report confirms what peer organisations, researchers, and frontline workers have long said: harm reduction saves lives and makes economic sense. Now is the time for the ACT Government to act on that evidence — not just by maintaining funding, but by expanding and embedding services that save lives and deliver effective interventions, including a Canberra-based Safe Injecting Facility.
Media Contact:
Mitch Lamb
CAHMA Media Spokesperson
mitchl@cahma.org.au
Written by Mitch Lamb
