Pubdate: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 Source: Melbourne Weekly (Australia) Copyright: 2000 The Text Media Group Ltd Contact: +61 3 9272 4739 Address: 171 La Trobe Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 Website: http://www.textmedia.com.au/tmw_fset.html Author: Bonnie Palmer HAVE SOME COMPASSION Opponents of safe injecting rooms probably don't realise they are most likely closer to the problem than if there was a safe injecting facility in their neighbourhood. Heroin is everywhere - yes, even on your street. My sister is a heroin addict and has been for many years. I have suffered along with her for all this time and I'm only 19. Every day I think of her overdosing or contracting a deadly disease from a dirty needle. I accept my sister is a drug addict . . . but I don't accept she should have to die because of it and never will. If you can't bring yourself to care for addicts, then think of their families, their friends, all the people who die a little bit inside when they hear of another overdose. Countless lives are resting on the outcome of this proposal. The longer it takes to be accepted, the more of these lives will be lost. They can't live with that. Can you? Bonnie Palmer, Prahran - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk