Avaibility and Use of Syringe Exchange Programs in Norway

"The primary objective of needle exchange programmes is to reduce the risk of infectious diseases associated with the sharing of injection equipment. Approximately 3.3 million syringes were handed out in Norway in 2007, largely through low-threshold services. In a follow-up survey carried out by SIRUS, 14 towns/municipalities reported that almost 3.1 million syringes were handed out in 2009. Of these, 85 per cent or 2,635 million were distributed in the three biggest cities Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim. In 2011, these cities reported about the same number, 2,639 million, 1.87 million of them in Oslo alone (see also Chapter 12). Sales through pharmacies come in addition, but we lack an overview of sales to drug users in this context."