DRUG POLICY WON'T WORK

IN AUSTRALIA, the prevailing drug policy of "harm reduction" has led to a
disastrous explosion in the number of people injecting illicit drugs, which
has caused an epidemic of the hepatitis C virus.

Needle exchanges, far from halting blood-borne infections, as promised, have
facilitated their spread.

In the light of the needle-exchange disaster it seems foolish to take
further steps to normalise injecting of illicit drugs by setting up a
"medically supervised injecting service" as announced by the NSW Government
and the Sisters of Charity.

Injecting drug users often use heroin up to three times a day but the
planned injecting service will be open for only seven hours each day. So
most users will take only some of their drugs on these premises.

The International Narcotic Control Board has condemned "shooting galleries"
as undermining international efforts to control illicit drugs. Proponents of
the injecting service, such as Dr Alex Wodak, president of the Ausfralian
Drug Law Reform Foundation, see it as advancing their cause.

Dr Wodak believes that drug users should be able to obtain sterile heroin
and other illicit substances at below illegal market costs.

The Sisters of charity would do far better to open another soup kitchen and
offer injecting drug users some healthy chicken soup.

GERALDINE MULLINS, Family Council of WA.