DRUGS BATTLE CAPTURES ONLY FOOT SOLDIERS

There is no war against heroin in Victoria. A war implies a concerted effort
to defeat the enemy, but all we hear are raucous shouts to vanquish the
foot-runners -- mostly desperate young addicts who sell heroin to sustain
their deadly habit.

The real villains are protected by obscene wealth and power, and often
facades of respectability.

Where there is a big heroin problem, there is big corruption. Illicit drugs
are also intimately connected with gambling and prostitution. In Melbourne,
all three have reached epidemic proportions, yet they continue to be
discussed as if they exist in isolation.

Until the war is fought on all fronts, our youth will continue to suffer and
die. In the meantime, let us attend to the wounded -- starting with a tally
of exactly what facilities for detoxification and rehabilitation are
currently available in this state.

I have a sinking feeling they wouldn't cope with even a quarter of the young
heroin addicts in the CBD on any given day.

Matthew Jolly, South Caulfield