WHY RUSH INTO INJECTING FACILITIES?

The first stage of Prof. Penington’s report calls for injecting rooms.
Apparently the second stage of the report, to he released in some
months, deals with treatment and rehabilitation.

It would seem to Drug-Arm Victoria that we have things the wrong way
round. Surely, in the light of the failure of the present treatment
system we should he looking at treatment and rehabilitation first.

Having a treatment system that is user friendly actually might make a
huge difference to the drug problems in Victoria. If this did not work
we could consider the contentious issue of injecting rooms.

Why the rush to put in place facilities that have no evidence to
support them, have no public confidence and do nothing to encourage
people to stop using drugs?

Graeme Rule, executive director, Drug-Arm Victoria