Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, July 18, 2024
High Alert, the country’s pioneering drug early warning system, is celebrating its fourth anniversary of significantly reducing harm from dangerous drugs since its launch on June 26, 2020.
Over the past four years, more than a million people have turned to High Alert for critical information about drugs, marking a milestone in public health and safety.
About High Alert
High Alert is a collaborative effort spearheaded by Drug Information and Alerts Aotearoa New Zealand (DIANZ) within the National Drug Intelligence Bureau (NDIB). This multi-agency initiative is backed by a broad network of health professionals, social services, and both government and non-government entities.
Key supporters include the Institute of Environmental Science and Research, the New Zealand Drug Foundation, ‘Know Your Stuff NZ,’ the New Zealand Needle Exchange Programme, St John New Zealand, and Wellington Free Ambulance.
The High Alert website functions as an early warning system, identifying acute drug harm, providing insights into outbreaks, and in some instances, predicting potential harm. Visitors can subscribe confidentially to receive email updates and report unusual or unexpected drug effects, fostering a proactive approach to drug safety.
“While High Alert’s message is clear – no use is best use – we have a responsibility to ensure we also take steps to minimise the harm caused by drug use where we can,” said Julia Smith, Manager of the Intelligence Fusion Teams.
Notable Impact
Since its inception, High Alert has issued 29 early warning notifications, each attracting significant public attention and national media coverage. The most notable warning was in 2022 when fentanyl was misrepresented as cocaine in Wairarapa, drawing widespread concern. More recently, in June 2024, two alerts were issued regarding misrepresented ketamine in Wellington and MDMA in Dunedin.
The impact of High Alert is evident in its reach and engagement. The website has welcomed over 1.3 million visitors and nearly 1.7 million views of harm reduction information. Additionally, High Alert has extended its influence through social media, reaching 2.3 million people via Facebook and Instagram and generating over a million views on TikTok since joining the platform in 2022.
“The ongoing success of the early warning system shows people are actively looking for this type of information and demonstrates the enormous potential of High Alert to prevent harm,” said NDIB Manager Detective Inspector Tim Chao.
Growing Support
High Alert’s mailing list has also grown steadily, with over 7000 public subscribers receiving early warning notifications, achieving an impressive 58% open rate, far exceeding the industry standard of 34%. Additionally, more than 1,000 healthcare professionals are subscribed to receive notifications and harm reduction information, underscoring the system’s broad utility.
Beyond providing harm reduction information to the public, High Alert fosters engagement with partners who may not traditionally collaborate with law enforcement. Before its launch, there was minimal coordination among these groups, and no structures were in place to link harm in different regions. Now, High Alert monitors this network and conducts daily scans across various information sources to identify and address drug harm nationwide.
As High Alert enters its fifth year, its ongoing success underscores the critical need for such systems in reducing drug-related harm and protecting public health.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Hamilton.
