DRUG TRIALS FACE OPPOSITION

State Government plans to decriminalise marijuana and allow injecting
rooms for heroin addicts would probably encourage drug use, a leading
United States health official said yesterday.

The US Surgeon-General, Dr David Satcher, said that even experimental
efforts to reduce drug deaths in the US, such as needle exchange
programs, had met stiff opposition.

"We feel very strongly about dealing with illegal drugs and so our
attitude is not to cooperate in any way that would encourage them," he
said.

"Our attitude towards marijuana and other addictive drugs is that we
feel we have to do everything we can to discourage their use. So our
attitude is not supportive of decriminalisation," Dr Satcher said at
the launch of the VicHealth Centre for Tobacco Control.

The highest ranking health official in the US, Dr Satcher was in
Melbourne yesterday as part of a nine-day Australian tour.

The Victorian Government has earmarked heroin injecting rooms for five
municipalities, but none have formally agreed to the plan.

The Premier, Mr Steve Bracks, said yesterday that legislation for
decriminalisation of small amounts of marijuana for personal use was
planned, but was not a high priority.

Dandenong, Melbourne, Maribyrnong, Port Phillip and Yarra councils
have all but ruled out a request for heroin dealing areas.

The City of Greater Dandenong raised the prospect of a dealing area
for addicts last week at a meeting of councillors and 15 MPs, but the
concept was unanimously ruled out.

Port Phillip's Mayor, Cr Dick Gross, said the issue should be
discussed by the community. "We're dealing with deeply troubling
notions for the community."

Yarra's Mayor, Cr Steve Watson, said the issue was a distraction and
the council would not encourage discussion.

A spokesman for Melbourne's Lord Mayor, Cr Peter Costigan, said
dealing areas were not on the Melbourne City Council's agenda.

The Mayor of Maribyrnong, Cr Bill Horrocks, said the council had not
considered dealing areas or injecting facilities since the election.
He said he opposed the concept of a safe dealing area.

The Government announced during the campaign that the five
municipalities, all centres for heroin use, would be ideal locations
for a trial of injecting facilities. But it promised that houses would
not be set up without agreement of the councils and
communities.

The councils will take their final position to the State Government. A
meeting is scheduled for 7.30pm tomorrow at St Kilda Town Hall.