UN BACKS OFF DEBATE ON HEROIN SAFE ROOMS

The United Nations has effectively opted out of the Australian drugs debate,
failing to provide the Federal Government with a definitive opinion as to
whether a medically supervised injecting room trial would be in breach of
international drug control treaties.

In its report to the Federal Government, made public yesterday, the UN's
International Narcotics Control Board reiterated its concern about plans to
establish a clinical trial of injecting rooms in NSW, Victoria and the ACT,
but failed to judge conclusively that Australia would be in breach of its
international obligations if it went ahead.

The Prime Minister, Mr Howard, who opposes safe injecting rooms, has used
Australia's obligations under international conventions to press the states
into abandoning the trial.

But he abandoned suggestions that external affairs powers be used to
override the states to stop injecting rooms after Northern Territory
mandatory sentencing laws triggered calls for the Commonwealth to use
international human rights obligations to override the Territory.

The report emerged as the Opposition Leader, Mr Beazley - who has publicly
supported trials of a safe injecting room - softened his previous opposition
to legalised heroin trials.

"It's a different thing, a trial of heroin as opposed to a safe injecting
room, though a lot of people mix them up," he told Melbourne radio.

"I think there are some potential legal problems with it [heroin trials] but
if they were overcome, then I would put that in the same category as all the
rest trying to get a solution that keeps people alive."

Last night, the ACT Health Minister, Mr Michael Moore, and the NSW Special
Minister of State, Mr Della Bosca, said the UN had stopped short of accusing
Australia of breaching drug treaties, so the way was clear for states and
territories to continue with safe injecting room trials without fear of
breaches.

The report was made public by the Health Minister, Dr Wooldridge, and the
Minister for Justice, Senator Vanstone yesterday.

Neither minister made comment on the safe injecting room issue, saying only
that the UN body had "praised Australia's progress in the battle against
illicit drugs".

Three representatives of the UN board visited NSW, Victoria and the ACT last
month and met senior health officials and State and Territory ministers
involved in planning trials of medically supervised injecting rooms.

It is understood that NSW, Victoria and the ACT all argued that the safe
injecting room projects fell within the sections of the conventions which
allow strictly controlled "medical or clinical trials" of new drug
treatments or reforms.

Mr Della Bosca said the report also represented a cautious endorsement of
the diversionary approach taken by the NSW Government following the NSW Drug
Summit.

"The [report] stops short of asserting that the trial of the [safe injecting
room] is in breach of international drug conventions," he said.

"We are leading the nation in exploring new and consensus-based approaches
to tackling the complex problem of drug addiction. All our policies are
evidence-based, an approach also endorsed by the [UN] report."