With an estimated 400,000 South Africans using heroin and 82,500 administering drugs by injection, harm reduction services are essential. But there is resistance from some quarters.

Listen to this article 10 min Listen to this article 10 min Nyaope and other hard drug users call it "spiking" - the injection of unregulated hard drugs into the body via syringes. Enter harm reduction services.

One of the organisations that provides addicts with harm reducing services is the Networking HIV and Aids Community of Southern Africa, Nacosa. Nacosa provides a wide range of harm reducing services such as providing sterile needles and syringes to drug addicts, usually, nyaope and heroin users.

While figures clearly show that the adoption of harm reduction services is very important, it has also run into strong resistance. One of the main arguments against harm reducing services is that they encourage addiction.

Outlining some of the reasons for supplying addicts with syringes and other harm reduction services, Nacosa programme manager: key populations and human rights Yolaan Andrews said that "the most commonly injected drug in South Africa is heroin. Other drugs can also be injected, including crystal meth (tik) and crack cocaine.

"People almost always start by smoking heroin, but tolerance in their body builds up and they end up not being able to afford to smoke it any more, so they transition...