Pubdate: Wed, 19 Apr 2000
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2000 David Syme & Co Ltd
Contact:  250 Spencer Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia
Website: http://www.theage.com.au/
Author: Ewin Hannan, State Editor

INJECTING ROOMS GET THE GO-AHEAD

Supervised injecting facilities for heroin users will be given an 18-month
trial in five municipalities under proposals to be announced by the
Victorian Government today.

The State Government's Drug Policy Expert Committee, chaired by Professor
David Penington, has recommended supervised injecting facilities be tested
in Melbourne, Fitzroy, St Kilda, Footscray and Springvale.

But the 18-month trial will proceed only if local councils affected by the
recommendations agree to the move.

The injecting rooms are not expected to be in residential areas, near
schools or kindergartens. They could be equipped with waiting areas complete
with coffee-making facilities, subsidised food and counselling services.

Professor Penington and Health Minister John Thwaites will launch stage one
of the committee's report and recommendations to tackle the heroin scourge
today.

It is believed the committee conducted surveys in each of the five
municipalities to ascertain the level of support for supervised injecting
facilities.

It is believed the committee found strong support overall for the
establishment of the facilities.

The State Government is expected to emphasis today that the trials will
proceed only with the agreement of each local council.

But the decision to set up the facilities could face opposition from
residents' groups and local traders.

Only two councils so far - the cities of Yarra and Port Phillip - have given
support in principle for the facilities.

Strong opposition has been mounted by residents groups and traders in
Footscray while the proposed facility in the central business district also
faces opposition.

To allay public concerns, the committee and the government are expected to
stress that the facilities are a "trial only", and each room will be
evaluated and monitored over 18 months. It is believed the evaluation will
cover several issues, including the number of deaths from overdose before
and during the trial, and the attendance at the facilities.

It is understood the trial will also examine the impact of the facilities on
the local community. This would include examining concerns about the extent
of street trafficking of drugs near each facility.

It is believed stage two of the committee's work, yet to be released, will
examine continuing improvements to treatment and rehabilitation, and drug
education.

Professor Penington has argued that obstacles to implementing the facilities
were being reduced as the heroin death toll and associated problems
worsened.

In compiling the committee's report, Dr Penington embarked on a fact-finding
mission to some of the 42 established injecting rooms in Europe.

According to an issues paper, released by the committee in January, heroin
now costs about $25 a gram compared to $600 a gram in 1997, but its purity
has risen from 30 per cent to 70 per cent.

The paper estimated that by 2005, the number of heroin-related deaths each
year in Australia would have risen to almost 500.
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