The Little Fish That Could: A Harm Reduction Story

Friday, 10 October, 2025.

You know those little plastic fish you get with sushi? The ones filled with soy sauce? Over the years they’ve become synonymous with GHB and have been used as a harm reduction tool. Recently, they’ve been banned by the South Australian government, for environmental reasons, and that's got us here at Users News thinking about what this means for people who use drugs. 

Origins 

These little fish-shaped bottles started out in Japan after World War 2. They were a cute way to package soy sauce for takeaway. They hold about 8-15ml, they don't leak, and you can squeeze them to get the sauce out. Simple and convenient. 

When sushi went global in the 70’s and 80’s, these fish went everywhere. You could find them in any Japanese restaurant. Millions got made every year. Nobody thought much about them, they were a takeaway staple.  

Little fish and GHB

Here's where things get interesting. People who use GHB figured out that these fish bottles were actually pretty useful for measuring doses. 

GHB is tricky. The difference between a safe dose and a dangerous one is really small. You need to measure it carefully or things can go wrong fast. The drug comes as a clear liquid, so it's hard to tell how much you're taking just by looking. 

In the early 2000s, harm reduction workers in the UK and Australia started noticing people were using soy sauce fish to measure GHB. It made sense – the bottles were everywhere, they held a standard amount, and nobody looked twice if you had one in your bag. 

Organisations like Gay Men Fighting AIDS (GMFA) in the UK saw what was happening and made a smart call. Instead of telling people not to use drugs (which we know doesn't work), they started giving out practical safety info about using the little fish bottles properly. 

The key thing was that these bottles were standardised. If you knew your fish held 10ml, you could dose more safely. Harm reduction educators could say "if you're using a soy fish, here's what you need to know about safer dosing." 

This is harm reduction in action – meeting people where they're at, not where you think they should be. It's about reducing harm from drug use, not judging people for using. 

Why It Worked 

The soy sauce fish worked for a few reasons: 

They were the right size for measuring small amounts. They were readily available, and usually free. They looked innocent – you could carry one without raising suspicion. They were easy to use and didn't leak in your pocket or bag. 

This is how a lot of harm reduction happens in real life. People in drug-using communities figure out ways to stay safer, and they share that knowledge with each other. It's grassroots safety, coming from users themselves. 

South Australia’s Ban 

In September 2025, South Australia banned small soy sauce containers. This included the fish bottles. The ban covers any fish-shaped or rectangular container with a lid that holds less than 30ml of soy sauce. 

The government's reason? Environmental protection. These are single-use plastics, and South Australia has been systematically banning them since 2021. They've already banned single-use cutlery, plastic coffee cups, and takeaway containers. The soy fish was next on the list. 

From an environmental point of view, this makes sense. We've got a plastic pollution problem, and every bit of single-use plastic we get rid of helps. The irony of fish-shaped plastic harming actual fish wasn't lost on anyone. 

The Problem 

Here's where it gets complicated. This environmental policy has an unintended consequence – it removes a harm reduction tool that people were actually using. 

When you ban something people rely on for safety, they have to adapt. Sometimes they adapt well. Sometimes they don't. The worry is that people might go back to less accurate ways of measuring doses while they figure out what to use instead. 

This doesn't mean the ban is bad. Plastic pollution is a real issue that we need to address. But it does show how different policies can clash with each other without meaning to. 

Harm reduction workers now need to find alternatives to the soy fish. But it's not that simple. Any replacement needs to be: 

- Easy to get 

- Standardised (so everyone knows how much it holds) 

- Discrete (so it doesn't draw attention) 

- Easy to use 

The soy fish ticked all these boxes. Finding something else that does the same job isn't easy. 

The Bigger Picture 

This whole situation shows us a few important things. 

First, everyday objects can become harm reduction tools in ways nobody expects. A condiment container became a life-saving measuring device because people in the community figured out it could help them stay safer. 

Second, policies made for one reason can affect people in ways policymakers didn't think about. The environmental ban is good policy, but it has unintended knock-on effects. 

Third, the best harm reduction often comes from drug users themselves. People know what works in their own lives and communities. 

3ml slips are a popular alternaive to the soy sauce fish bottles

Moving Forward 

So, what now? 

Harm reduction organisations need to work with communities to find alternatives to the soy fish. This means asking people who actually use drugs what might work for them. 

Policymakers need to think about how environmental and health policies interact. When you're making rules about plastic, also think about whether those rules affect public health in other ways. 

Different groups – environmental activists, public health workers, harm reduction advocates – need to talk to each other. Working together, they might find solutions that achieve multiple goals at once. 

What You Can Do 

If you've been using soy fish for measuring, start looking for alternatives now. In terms of safer using ask yourself the following questions: 

• Do I know how much this container holds? 

• Is it something I can access more than once? 

• Can I use it repeatedly? 

One popular substitute has been injecting barrels since they provide precise measurements. The benefits of barrels are that they come in various sizes and are usually available at NSPs.  

However, unlike the soy sauce bottles barrels are a lot less inconspicuous. It’s not illegal to carry them but that doesn’t mean they won’t raise awkward questions.  

If you find an alternative that works for you share that information with your community. It could end up saving someone from dosing incorrectly.  

The Bottom Line 

The little soy fish became an unlikely hero in harm reduction, and now it's being phased out for good environmental reasons. That's life. Things change, and we adapt. 

The real lesson here is about how harm reduction works in practice. It's often messy, it uses whatever tools are available, and it comes from communities figuring out how to take care of each other. 

The soy fish is going away in South Australia, but the need for harm reduction isn't. Communities will adapt, find new tools, and keep working to keep each other safe. That's what we do.