HEROIN ROOM PLAYS THE WAITING GAME AS COURT CONSIDERS ITS FATE

At a cursory glance, Australia's first legal heroin injecting room could be
taken for a blood bank.

Behind its opaque front windows is a waiting room, barren except for 10
chairs and three piles of magazines stacked neatly on a table.

Next to the reception desk is an office where new patients would be quizzed
about their drug and medical history, their details entered into a computer,
and then registered to join the government-funded trial.

But instead of beds for patients to lie on while blood is drained from their
arms, there are eight stainless steel cubicles in which drug addicts would
shoot up.

Nearly two years after the drug summit recommended the 18-month trial for a
medically supervised injecting room at 66 Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross,
later approved by the State Government, the centre is ready to go.

The $300,000 refurbishment of the former pinball parlour is completed,
registered nurses and drug and alcohol counsellors are on stand-by and
addicts are waiting for the doors to open.

But legal action in the NSW Supreme Court by the Kings Cross Chamber of
Commerce, which opposes the location of the injecting room, has delayed the
start of the trial.

During a two-day hearing challenging the legality of the operating licence
issued to the Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust, counsel for the
chamber, Dr Christopher Birch, SC, said the trust was not entitled to hold
the licence under the terms of the amended Drug Misuse and Traffic Act.

Dr Birch said the Health Department and the NSW Police Service, which were
responsible for issuing the licence, had failed to advertise the licence
application or properly assess the attitude of the public and local
government towards the centre, as required by the legislation.

The Government departments also came under fire for failing to outline the
reasons which led them to believe there was sufficient public support for
the injecting room.

In addition to written submissions, counsel for the two Government
departments, Mr Stephen Gageler, argued that neither the Department of
Health nor the Police Service was required by legislation or common law to
justify its decisions.

While Justice Brian Sully considers his decision, those involved in the
injecting room sit and wait.

Medical director Dr Ingrid van Beek yesterday said the room would be opened
every day for two four-hour stints. An estimated 150 to 200 "injection
episodes" were expected a day.

While encouraging patients to consider rehabilitation would be important, Dr
van Beek said promoting safe administration of drugs would be a priority.

To ensure the highest level of hygiene and safety, patients would be
encouraged to wash their hands before and after injecting; given a clean
syringe, spoon, water and swab to inject their drug; and sat in pairs at
stainless tables to reinforce the practice of injecting drugs with someone
else.