HEROIN TRIAL FOR ADDICTS BACKED

A TRIAL of legal heroin for long-term addicts is among recommendations in a
study commissioned by Prime Minister John Howard's advisory council on drugs.

But the Australian National Council on Drugs, established by Mr Howard in
1998, distanced itself from the recommendations.The report said the
principal attraction of a trial was it might increase the number of heroin
users seeking treatment by giving them their preferred drug and their
preferred means of administration, which was by injection.

The report by the University of New South Wales-based national drug and
alcohol research centre also found benefits for the community. "It may also
have benefits for the community if it reduces the criminal activity of a
small actively criminal group of dependent users and if it reduces their
risk of contracting or transmitting HIV and other infectious diseases," it
said.

The report said similar trials overseas had been successful.

The study also lent support to the trial of a medically supervised heroin
injecting room in Sydney's King's Cross.

Council chairman and Salvation Army Major Brian Watters said yesterday that
he had moral and ethical objection to providing people with illegal drugs
and the means to inject them.

But Major Watters said he did not favour censoring or otherwise editing
research which the council had commissioned and paid for.

The council released two position papers which, among other things, raised
the possibility of making the anti-overdose drug, Narcan, available over
the counter at pharmacies.

The papers also propose starting a trial under which Narcan would be made
standard issue for those in close contact with drug addicts, such as police
and community support and needle exchange workers.

All ambulances also carry the drug and paramedics trained in its use.

The proposals form the latest strand of the council's strategy to reduce
Australia's 15,000 annual fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses.

The council said that broader availability of Narcan would allow its
life-saving use by the friends and family of drug addicts.

It also recommended providing heroin users with up-to-date information on
drug purity and availability.

"All drug users should be advised on the need to use smaller amounts of
drugs whenever fluctuations in availability occur," it said.

Major Watters said drug overdoses had decreased recently, partly as a
result of the success of law enforcement authorities in stemming
importation to Australia and creating a heroin drought.