CURRENT SYSTEM TO DEAL WITH DRUG USERS FAILING

Sir,

I refer to the heroin injecting rooms recently declined by council to be
provided in Dubbo. I agree that people who inject illegal substances are
committing a crime by doing so, but my concern is how some people dispose of
their injecting equipment.

I regularly walk around Dubbo and I often see empty water vials, syringe
packets, and occasionally used syringes discarded in public places. The
current needle exchange program is a contributing factor in this problem.

If a room with trained staff and clean equipment was available to IV drug
users and correct disposal procedures were adhered to, there would be no
need for a needle exchange program thus eliminating most of the risk of
needle stick injury to children and others who may be unfortunate enough to
come into contact with a used syringe dumped on the ground.

Many arguments of condoning drug use can be raised here, but the bottom line
is saving lives. The advantages of having an injecting room far out weigh
the disadvantages. Some councillors think these rooms will attract "filth"
to the town; the truth is the drugs and people who use them are already
here. We need to approach this issue with a common sense approach rather
then the current system which plainly does not work.

W. W. Brock, Dubbo