Pubdate: Mon, 01 May 2000
Source: Canberra Times (Australia)
Copyright: 2000 Canberra Times
Contact:  http://www.canberratimes.com.au/
Author: B. McConnell

I WONDER WHAT SORT OF SIGNAL THE PM IS SENDING?

JOHN PASSANT'S letter ("PM's signals", CT, April 27) has triggered a
thought. Wasn't it the tobacco industry that said there is "no
evidence that smoking causes lung cancer"? Now, shortly after the
tobacco company sponsored the Liberal Party National Convention, the
Prime Minister publicly proclaims there is "no clear evidence" that
supervised injecting rooms save lives. This despite falling overdose
death rates in countries that have introduced them. The Prime
Minister's opposition to clinical trials of injecting rooms makes it
harder to get that evidence and ultimately prove that he is wrong. I
wonder what signal that sends?

B. McCONNELL
Higgins
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