Pubdate: Thu, 26 Sep 2002
Source: Courier-Mail, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2002 News Limited
Contact:  http://www.thecouriermail.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/98
Author: Sandra O'Malley

HEROIN 'DROUGHT' BROKEN

AUSTRALIA'S heroin drought had broken but availability of the drug was 
still off the levels of two years ago, drug experts have said.

A sharp decrease in heroin availability over the past few years, dubbed a 
heroin drought, contributed to a significant decrease in deaths from drug 
overdoses.

The drought was due to heroin normally destined for Australia finding its 
way to other markets, primarily due to a sharp drop in production in 
Afghanistan.

However, a drugs conference in London will be told today that heroin 
production in Afghanistan had soared by up to 1,400 per cent since the war 
on terror and the fall of the Taliban.

Gino Vumbaca, executive officer of the Australian National Council on 
Drugs, said anecdotal evidence suggested heroin was becoming more readily 
available on Australian streets.

"There is anecdotal evidence from NSW, ACT and Victoria suggesting that the 
availability of heroin has been increasing," he told AAP.

"(But) it's still not the same level it was going back a year and a half, 
two years ago now."

Mr Vumbaca said information from agencies, such as drug and alcohol 
treatment centres, indicated the availability of heroin had been increasing 
over the past few months.

"With that goes a decrease in prices ... there are some market forces at 
work there, as supply increases, price decreases," he said.

Agencies started reporting greater heroin availability about three or four 
months ago.

Mr Vumbaca also noted that Afghanistan was not a major supplier of heroin 
to Australia.

Most Afghan heroin was destined for Europe and the United Kingdom.

A spokesman for the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence (ABCI) 
backed the suggestion the heroin drought had broken.

"Heroin is becoming more freely available," he said.

ABCI's Australian Illicit Drug Report 2000/01, released in March, found 
heroin arrests for the period had dropped to 1995 levels.
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MAP posted-by: Beth