USE OF HEROIN IS NOT WIDESPREAD

MS SAUNDERS (Letters, September 15) wonders where "these people" get their
information.

If she had read my letter carefully, she would have seen that it was ACT
Drug Trends 1999, put out by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

I have no doubt that if, as she suggests, I were to "sit in His Honour's
court for a day or two" I would know "the true incidence of heroin use
among those who come before him".

That was exactly my point this group of people would have a higher
percentage of illicit drug use, theft, assault (and any other crime you
care to name) than the wider community.

I'm not silly enough to assume that none of the people I know or work with
have ever tried heroin or use it let alone their sons and daughters. But
Ms Saunders seems to think that I live with my head in the sand.

Not so. I socialise, work, and have other contact with at least 500 people
in the ACT and, using the figures I quoted, 2 per cent would have used it
at least once making a total of 10. But only 0.4 per cent would have used
it in the last 12 months making a total of 2.

That shows heroin use is not widespread and neither Ms Saunders nor Chief
Justice Miles should pretend that it is.

JANE CRAIG
Macgregor