New national research shows that needle reuse among people who inject drugs in Australia is far more common than many might expect. Nearly one in three Australians who regularly inject illicit drugs reused their own needle in the month before interview. The 2025 Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) recorded this among 852 participants across all Australian capital cities, with 31% reporting needle reuse at least once in the past month.

Why Needle Reuse Among People Who Inject Drugs Persists

Researchers asked participants why they had not used a fresh needle for every injection. The answers point less to cost or access, and more to the practical and psychological rhythms of drug use.

The most common reasons, each cited by 35% of participants, were that getting a new needle felt too inconvenient or time-consuming, and that stopping to find one interrupted the ritual of injecting. These were not fringe responses. They reflect how needle reuse fits into the daily routine of many people who inject drugs.

A further 30% said they cleaned their used needle with water before reusing it. This may feel like a sensible precaution, but it carries real risks. People who inject drugs often rely on ineffective cleaning techniques. On top of that, manufacturers design single-use needles to blunt after first skin penetration. Reusing them, even after rinsing, damages vein walls and raises the risk of blood clot formation.

Other reasons participants gave included not preparing in advance by having needles ready (28%), no nearby needle exchange (16%), being too focused on getting high to find a new needle (10%), not having new needles at the point of injection (6%), not believing needle reuse carried any real risk (6%), and strong cravings or withdrawal making it hard to stop (5%).

Needle Reuse Continues Despite Widespread NSP Access

Australia runs a well-established network of Needle and Syringe Programs (NSPs) that offer free and low-cost injecting equipment. Yet reusing needles while injecting illicit drugs remains widespread, which tells us that access alone does not solve the problem.

Very few participants cited cost, fear of being seen buying needles, or worry about police as reasons for needle reuse. Five or fewer people endorsed each of those responses. The real barriers sit elsewhere, in urgency, in habit, in the disruption that preparation feels like during active dependence.

What Researchers Say

Antonia Karlsson, Amy Peacock, and Rachel Sutherland, the authors of the bulletin, stress the importance of sharing information about venous access and care with people who inject drugs. They also call for efforts that support safer injecting practices within the realities of everyday drug use.

That point matters. Harm reduction works best when it meets people where they actually are. Assuming that knowing the risks, or living near a needle exchange, will change behaviour misses the complexity of addiction.

The Health Consequences of Reusing Needles While Injecting Illicit Drugs

Needle reuse among people who inject drugs carries serious health consequences. HIV and hepatitis C spread through shared or reused equipment. Blunted needles cause greater vein trauma with every use. Abscesses and deep vein damage are far more common among people who inject regularly.

A 2020 study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence found significant rates of injecting-related injuries and diseases among people who inject drugs in Australia. The researchers identified these risks as urgent and ongoing, not theoretical.

Practical Support Must Reflect Real Life

The 2025 IDRS data sends a clear message. Needle reuse in Australia will not fall simply by adding more supply. Services need to reach people at the moment of use. They need to reduce the friction of accessing clean equipment on the spot. And they need to offer honest, non-judgemental information about venous care.

Australia has built strong harm reduction infrastructure. These findings show that infrastructure needs to keep evolving. Behaviour change is hard, and any effective response to needle reuse among people who inject drugs must account for the lived reality of addiction.

Source: unsw.edu