Drug users in Pretoria say the practice commonly referred to as getting a "bluetooth high" is not a new phenomenon.

PRETORIA – With the dangerous phenomenon of so-called 'bluetooth' drug abuse in the spotlight, addicts in Tshwane have told Eyewitness News that the practice has been on the increase for years and is most common in prisons.

The practice sees blood being drawn from a drug user who has just got high using nyaope or other narcotics and transferred to another addict via a syringe.

Drug users in the capital say the practice commonly referred to as getting a 'bluetooth high' is not a new phenomenon.

“I swear it happens in prison.”

A first-hand user admits he injects his friends' blood when he has no money to buy drugs himself.

He says he's aware of the risk of contracting diseases like HIV and hepatitis, but tries not to think about this when he spikes himself.

“I thought let me try it because I don’t have a choice, I don’t have money and I am getting cramps.”

Health officials warn the practice is extremely dangerous.