Pubdate: Wed, 22 Mar 2000
Source: Canberra Times (Australia)
Copyright: 2000 Canberra Times
Contact:  http://www.canberratimes.com.au/
Author: Peter Clack

ADDICTS OFFERED A NEW DEAL

Heroin addicts facing their first and second offences will be diverted
from Canberra's courts for rehabilitation and treatment as authorities
seek ways to combat worsening drug-related illness and crime.

The scheme will steer early offenders from the criminal-justice system
but those who are re-arrested could face the courts later on for
repeated offences of self-injecting a prohibited substance, crimes not
currently enforced as police target drug dealers and
traffickers.

ACT Chief Police Officer Bill Stoll said last night the drug diversion
scheme had been developed over the past six months as part of the
National Drug Strategy, by the Australian Federal Police, Director of
Public Prosecutions and the Departments of Health and of Justice and
Community Safety.

ACT Chief Magistrate Ron Cahill said last night the diversion scheme
was ' a logical extension' that diverted minor users in lieu of court.
' I support that,' Mr Cahill said.

But he did have misgivings if more serious matters were diverted from
courts.

' We have to draw the line,' he said. ' With property crime, I think
that is a different issue. I think it's a question of trying to
integrate the process for other crimes beyond drugs. We get few
offenders just for possession. One of the risks is net widening.'

Mr Stoll said the scheme was designed specifically for Canberra to
provide harm-minimisation through enforcement by trying to reduce the
demand for heroin on the streets.

Commonwealth, state and territory governments had agreed to various
diversion schemes to divert minor drug users from the courts.

' It is still not settled yet, but it will allow for a program where
offenders are diverted for possession of a small amount of heroin for
self-use,' Mr Stoll said.

' In the final policy we will refer them for health education and
treatment. For many years we have had a policy of not prosecuting for
self-administration and we do not attend over-dose calls to the
ambulance service. We want to avoid dragging others into the system.

' It is very much a system directly involving police as the first
point of contact at the time of being taken into custody.'

The system was still being developed but police would need a 24-hour
response system by health-service providers where treatment would be
available and incidents recorded.

' It is certainly agreed at the national stage. I don't think it is
far away,' Mr Stoll said. The ACT Government has already backed a
supervised self-injecting clinic for Civic and continues to lobby for
a heroin trial.

Canberra's population of heroin users has been estimated at 2000. The
city's Needle Exchange Service gives out about 540,000 needles and
syringes each year, and ambulances attend up to 100 overdoses each
month.
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