Pubdate: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 Source: Canberra Times (Australia) Contact: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/ Author: Peter Clack AN INJECTING ROOM MAY STILL BE A POSSIBILITY Canberra might yet get a self-injecting room in Civic for drug users, despite strong political opposition, as ACT Health Minister Michael Moore works behind the scenes to find support. Mr Moore said last week he was disappointed by the stance taken by Greens MLA Kerrie Tucker, who wants the clinic to be part of a wider drug strategy. Combined with only lukewarm support from the Labor Opposition, Mr Moore said he felt the plan should be withdrawn. "It has been put on the back burner but it is definitely not off the agenda," a spokeswoman for Mr Moore said yesterday. "He thought it was fair to get cross-party support so that it does not become a thing to grab headlines later on." She said Mr Moore could have introduced the injecting clinic without going to the Legislative Assembly beforehand. Mr Moore was committed to the concept of harm minimisation and had been informed of the outcome of similar clinics in German and Swiss cities, where crime rates had fallen and drug users had experienced improving health coupled with lower overdose rates and death rates. "It is dealing with the health and wellbeing of drug users," she said. Such clinics gave government workers the opportunity to apply health services and rehabilitation programs. The director of the ACT Drug Referral and Information Centre, Maureen Cane, said the issue was about "saving lives". The ACT Ambulance Service reported five overdose calls in the first two weeks of January and a total of 850 calls from overdose victims in 1997-98, 280 of them for heroin. Ten people died of heroin overdoses in the year. Ms Tucker said a clinic needed to address concerns she and others felt. But she supported the clinic for the benefit it presented for the health of drug users. A public meeting is planned for February 9 at the Legislative Assembly from 7pm until 10pm. - --- MAP posted-by: Rich O'Grady