ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION This chapter reviews from an international perspective the services provided by community pharmacists to prevent, minimise and treat the harm of drug misuse. The services related to drug misuse will be reviewed, but with a focus on two in particular – the dispensing of pharmacotherapies for the management of drug dependence and the supply of clean injecting equipment for those who inject drugs. This division of services also serves as a reminder that many injectors inject drugs other than heroin (e.g. amphetamines, cocaine, steroids), and that not all those who inject drugs are drug dependent. Although the focus of this chapter may be mainly on opiate misuse, the focus on community pharmacy practice will be in the context of its involvement with a wide spectrum of drug misuse and those pharmacy services shown to be effective in preventing, minimising or treating drug misuse and its consequences.
