INJECTING ROOMS ON WA'S DRUG AGENDA

SAFE injecting rooms, heroin trials and cannabis legalisation will be
on the agenda at the State Government's community drug summit in August.

Health Minister Bob Kucera called yesterday for community support and
a bipartisan approach while warning that some aspects of the summit
would be controversial.

Old solutions to tackling drugs were not working, he
said.

"I've got to say after the last 30-odd years of working in the area we
haven't gone a long way in some places," Mr Kucera said.

"Obviously, there will be some political issues that are going to be
challenging for us but they will also be challenging for the
Opposition parties and for the community." Mr Kucera, a former police
assistant commissioner, said it was important topics such as safe
injecting rooms were discussed but he would not give his opinion on
them.

"Rather than me state specifically what the policies are, I would
rather leave that open at this stage," he said. "Our policies are
there - read them - but that does not necessarily mean that that's the
direction we will take once the summit comes out with its views."

WA recorded the second highest use of drugs in Australia in the past
year. The WA Drug Abuse Strategy Office estimates that more than
13,930 offences which occurred in WA last year were
drug-related.

Mr Kucera said the summit would deal only with the issue of illicit
drugs. It would investigate underlying social factors, early
intervention and prevention, treatment for drug users and law
enforcement.

There would be 80 delegates from the general community and 20 from
stakeholders such as health groups.

He would make it a priority to legislate any changes which arose from
the summit.

"The State Government will consider the strategies put forward by the
summit and respond to all the recommendations endorsed by it," he
said. "But as Health Minister I will push to make it a priority."

WA Substance Users"Association manager Tamara Speed said it was
important the opinions of drug users were heard at the summit. Illicit
drug use would not be eradicated so authorities had to view it as a
manageable issue.

"We need to look at things like treatment options," she said. "There
is a need in the city for a safe injecting room because there are
people injecting in unsafe and unhygienic conditions, so for those
people it is a real issue."

Ms Speed said the summit would break down the stereotype of what a
drug user was.

Opposition drugs strategy spokesman Simon O'Brien said the Liberal
Party opposed safe injecting rooms but it wanted to be involved in the
summit.

"I think it is important to have views from across the board," he
said.