Pubdate: Thu, 04 May 2000
Source: Illawarra Mercury (Australia)
Copyright: 2000 Illawarra Newspapers
Contact:  http://mercury.illnews.com.au/

NO DELIBERATE DELAY TO HEROIN ROOM

The NSW Government has denied claims it was delaying the opening of the 
state's first legal heroin injecting room until after the Olympic Games to 
avoid bad publicity.

NSW Special Minister of State John Della Bosca said he wanted the "shooting 
gallery", an initiative of last year's drug summit, to be up and running as 
soon as possible.

"We're actually awaiting the licence application with great enthusiasm and 
hopefully it will be processed fairly quickly," Mr Della Bosca.

"I don't see the opening of the medically supervised injecting centre as 
having any relationship at all to when the Olympics are or are not.

"Indeed, I am very anxious for it be up and running."
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart