IT'S SAFE TO SAY: WHAT A MUDDLE

ROB MOODIE, head of our state-funded Vic-Health, sighs about people
feeling "genuinely confused about the way we treat drugs". After
reading his latest VicHealth Letter, add me to that list.

On the one band, Dr Moodie monsters tobacco executives "who wear suits
and ties and sit on company boards (and) are spared the contempt and
legal condemnation that we direct at other drug pushers". Fair enough.

But then his newsletter discusses heroin use in an article entitled
"Safe Injecting in the Country."

It talks about a needle exchange which VicHealth funds, called "The
Safe Team". It "meets clients at a pre-arranged location where they
hand over safe injecting supplies".

Safe injecting? The Safe Team? Safe injecting supplies? It sounds
so... safe.

So I am confused by Dr Moodie's mixed messages.

Or does he also pay a "Safe Team" to hand out longer filters for
"safe" smoking?