Pubdate: Fri, 30 Jul 1999
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 1999 David Syme & Co Ltd
Contact:  http://www.theage.com.au/
Author: Nicole Brady
Note: Nicole Brady is social policy reporter for The Age and can be
contacted via WHY THE DELAY ON DRUGS, MR PREMIER?

Having led the nation in trying new measures to confront the heroin
problem, Victoria is now dragging its heels. As political leaders in
New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory move to test safe
injecting rooms, Jeff Kennett procrastinates.

While pledging support for the NSW trial, the Premier yesterday said
he would discuss his Government's response over the next few weeks
with drugs advisers and the Health Minister, Rob Knowles.

This lag would be understandable if safe injecting rooms were a new
idea or if Victoria had managed to stem the number of people dying
from fatal heroin overdoses. But they're not, and we haven't.
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine figures show that about 170
users have died so far this year compared to 157 over the same period
last year - which itself was a record high.

No one pretends that safe injecting facilities would magically stop
the deaths. Most fatal overdoses happen in the isolation of users'
homes, and it is unlikely the existence of safe injecting rooms would
encourage all users to change their practices. But surely if some
deaths could be prevented, that should be reason enough to proceed.

Life-saving would not be the only function of safe injecting rooms.
The NSW room will be staffed by medical and counselling professionals,
and will therefore be able to both revive overdose victims and refer
users on to drug rehabilitation services.

The NSW Premier, Bob Carr, is pushing ahead with the trial in spite of
its condemnation by his Opposition and the Salvation Army. Here, Jeff
Kennett would face no such hurdles. The Victorian ALP supports a trial
and this state's Salvation Army is neutral on the topic. And an
ACNielsen AgePoll in February found most Victorians supported a trial
of medically supervised injecting rooms.

By so far refusing to permit a trial, the Government is adopting a
head-in-the-sand approach. Illegal injecting facilities operate every
day in laneways, squats and car parks across Melbourne. One suburban
needle-exchange service recently became so troubled by the
proliferation of users shooting up in a nearby car park that it sought
police assistance. The advice: just let them be, they'll move on in
their own time. Hardly a satisfactory situation for workers, users or
the local community.

Discarded syringes pose risks - risks that could be reduced by the
trial of safe rooms, where used needles could be safely disposed of.

Critics warn that safe injecting rooms could result in a ``honey-pot''
effect, attracting heroin users and dealers. But have the critics been
down to Smith Street, Collingwood, recently? Testing a network of
rooms, rather than just one, would also help counter this problem.

Jeff Kennett should be applauded for implementing some ground-breaking
strategies: Victoria set up the nation's first diversionary program,
under which heroin users caught with small quantities of the drug for
the first time are sent to compulsory counselling sessions instead of
court. Similarly, the acclaimed Youth Substance Abuse Service was an
Australian first.

The Premier was among the loudest critics when the Howard Government
quashed the proposed ACT heroin trial, a much bolder step than a safe
injecting room. Yet on this issue - where he has the power to act - he
has been slow off the mark.

Could this be because an election is in the wind? Let's hope that such
a life-and-death debate is not being deferred for purely political
reasons.

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