Mainline International

20/11/2025

Next week, November 25, is the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. Today until December 10th – International Human Rights Day – marks 16 days of activism to end gender-based violence.

We hope to encourage organisations to pay more attention to the urgency of ending violence against women who use drugs; and to orient drug policies towards human rights.

Want to know more? Click here: https://whrin.site/event/evawud-2025-campaign-toolkit/

November 25 is the international day for elimination of violence against women which marks the beginning of 16 days of action through to December 10, International Human Rights Day.  WHRIN encourage interested organisations and groups worldwide to organise actions to end violence against women and ...

06/11/2025

In de tv series "Tygo in de flakka", you meet peopel who use flakka problematically. What exactly is it? Mainline recently conducted a Quick Scan into ‘flakka’: the street name for cathinones such as alpha-PVP and alpha-PHP. We spoke to users and professionals to understand the impact of alpha use on users, access to harm reduction, and the impact of banning various variants of alpha.

Want to learn more about alpha and the effects of the ban amongst users? Check out:
https://mainline.nl/en/report-alpha-quick-scan-a-search-for-flakka/

In recent months, Mainline conducted a Quick Scan into ‘flakka’: the street name for cathinones such as alpha-PVP, alpha-PiHP and alpha-PHP. The Quick Scan is a search for the causes behind a local health crisis and significant social unrest around flakka. With this report, Mainline hopes to con...

30/10/2025

Crack co***ne is now the most popular drug amongst people with problematic drug use.

That's what Mainline and the Trimbos-instituut have discovered in their new research on opiod and crack use in the Netherlands. Trimbos did a statistical analysis, while Mainline's outreach workers interviewed 520 users from eight different Dutch cities. We discovered that crack has overtaken opiods as the most popular drug amongst people with problematic drug use.

Read the full report here: https://mainline.nl/en/mainline-reports/

a collection of Mainline publications

23/10/2025

Was everything better before?

This autumn, Mainline turns 35 years old! To celebrate, we decided to revisit the very first issue of our magazine. On the cover of that very first edition one headline jumped straight out: ‘Dope quality. Was it always better before?’

So we asked the experts at the Drugs Information and Monitoring System (DIMS) from the Trimbos Institute in the Netherlands, who have been testing drugs ever since 1992. Mainline is one of the 33 places in the Netherlands where you can have the quality of your drugs tested. We can now even collect samples during our fieldwork and send them straight to the lab.

Was everything better before? Check out this infographic below:

16/10/2025

To what extent have local actors had an effect on Dutch harm reduction policy? This is the question that Arjan Nuijten from the University of Amsterdam examined in his PhD dissertation, ‘Regulating Paradise: The Local Origins of Harm Reduction in the Netherlands’.

Nuijten looked into the history of he**in and cannabis policy in the Netherlands from a local perspective. He shows how drug policies developed in three different Dutch cities: Amsterdam, Arnhem and Heerlen.

Nuijten demonstrates the important role of local actors in Dutch harm reduction and importantly, how the tolerant and liberal image of Dutch drug policy has changed. Drug policy doesn't come frompurely from tolerance, but rather as adaptation. Want to learn more about the history of drug policy in the Netherlands? Read more about this fascinating research here:
https://dare.uva.nl/search?identifier=db830f24-7f96-4388-994c-937f2c88624d

09/10/2025

Inspecting your base pipe regularly is so important: base pipes are often used intensively and many marginalised people who use crack, or basecoke as it is often called in the Netherlands, are at risk of developing the lung disease COPD. That’s why Mainline has created Baselab, a basecoke clinic developed by outreach worker Has Cornelissen, in which users can have their base pipes inspected. While doing so, they also receive tried and tested harm reduction tips.

Want a full breakdown of everything we check? Or do you want to start a base lab in your own area? Check out: https://mainline.nl/en/mainlines-newest-offer-the-base-laboratory/

Base pipes are often used intensively. So, it is important to have them inspected regularly. Mainline has therefore developed Baselab. During Baselab, we check the user’s base pipe and provide tried and tested tips for harm reduction. Many marginalised people who use crack (usually referred to as ...

02/10/2025

How do you support marginalised young people in reducing their risks to HIV infection? After a previous successful collaboration, Mainline is excited to announce another three-
year project with The Free School of Harm Reduction in Recife, Brazil! This project aims to increase access to and uptake of HIV and STI testing and treatment services among marginalised young people living in Recife, particularly those who are living on the streets, those who are part of the LBGTIQ+ community, and those who use drugs.

Want to learn more about how to increase young people’s resilience to HIV risk? Check out:

The Free School of Harm Reduction (Escola Livre de Redução de Danos – ELRD) and Mainline have started a new three-year project in Recife, Brazil. The goal of the project is to further increase demand for, access to and uptake of HIV and STI prevention, testing and treatment services. The project...

25/09/2025

Who is in charge of drug policy: drug dealers of policy makers?

On the 22nd of September, policymakers, law enforcers, and drug policy experts will come together to debate the future of Dutch drugs policy, confronting the urgent need for change in today’s failing drug policies.

Hosted by LEAP, this event is for anyone interested in, or curious about, Dutch drug policy, and most excitingly, our outreach worker Has Cornelissen will also be speaking at the event!

Want more information about this event? Or want to learn about future events like this? Check out: https://dezwijger.nl/programma/control-over-the-drugs-market

18/09/2025

Connecting with people who use drugs

When interacting with people who use drugs, you may get the impression they are not completely honest with you. How do you deal with that?

It may help you to realise that this behaviour is generally a survival mechanism. For many, it has been the only way to survive on the streets. At the same time, just like anybody else, people who use drugs need some love and care. They need to be seen and heard as the human beings they are. After all, that’s a universal human need.

Unfortunately, most people who live or have lived on the streets have mainly experienced negative attention. They feel the stigma from a mile away. And they may not be used to someone taking time for them, listening with sincere attention, and seeing them for who they are. That’s why it’s so important to take the time to connect. Remember, you are not working with complex people, but with people who tend to have complex issues.

So, if you feel like you’re being deceived, manipulated, or not taken seriously, take a deep breath. Don’t let yourself get cross. Accept it. Use humour. And if necessary, change the subject.

What I often find helpful is to go somewhere or do something together. Because, and may be you have noticed this already, conversations that take place while seated are often about the past. On the contrary, conversations that are held ‘in motion’ often focus on the future. So, start moving!

11/09/2025

Ever wanted to learn about drug use, drug policy and harm reduction in Morocco, Burundi or South Africa? Over the past few years, Mainline has been a partner in the Love Alliance programme, helping design a database with information on drug use and harm reduction across the 10 African Love Alliance countries. And we are happy to announce that the updated database is now online! For the full breakdown, check it out here:

The Love Alliance brings together organisations led by communities most affected by HIV and AIDS in 10 selected African countries.

04/09/2025

HIV prevention news

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines recommending the use of injectable lenacapavir (LEN) twice a year as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for HIV prevention. LEN, the first twice-yearly injectable PrEP product, offers a highly effective, long-acting alternative to daily oral pills and other shorter-acting options. With just two doses per year, LEN is a step forward in protecting people at risk of HIV. Read the whole story here:
https://www.who.int/news/item/14-07-2025-who-recommends-injectable-lenacapavir-for-hiv-prevention

The World Health Organization (WHO) released today new guidelines recommending the use of injectable lenacapavir (LEN) twice a year as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for HIV prevention, in a landmark policy action that could help reshape the global HIV response.

31/08/2025

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. We remember those we have lost to overdose, acknowledge the grief of their loved ones, and recommit ourselves to ending overdoses and the harm they cause.
See for more information on International Overdose Awareness Day: https://www.dea.gov/ioad