NSW TO TRIAL HEROIN INJECTING ROOM

The New South Wales Government will this morning hand down its verdict on
all 172 recommendations of the May drug summit and it is understood will
announce a trial of a medically supervised injection room.

It is also expected to rule out any softening of marijuana laws but
introduce a police caution trial for minor offences.

The Premier has left the most controversial of his drug summit announcements
until today.

It is understood there will be approval for a medically supervised injection
facility, probably in Sydney's Kings Cross.

It would be privately run and would need community approval.

South Sydney Mayor Vic Smith has already signalled his backing.

"I welcome this decision by the government," he said.

The Wayside Chapel's Reverend Ray Richmond, who ran an injecting room in
Kings Cross during the summit, says he is delighted.

"I'm sure that we wouldn't be where we are today unless we had done that,"
he said.

Sources say St Vincents Hospital's Sisters of Charity are favoured to run
the injecting room.

The Premier is also tipped to announce there will be no relaxation of
cannabis laws, or sanctioning of self administering a drug.

But the state will trial a cannabis cautioning scheme for minor offences,
similiar to one operating in Victoria.

The Uniting Church's Harry Herbert - who was a member of the drug summit -
says all the summit's recommendations should be implemented.

"I would be disappointed if the government didn't implement all the
recommendations of the drug summit," he said.

"I think those recommendations arose as a result of a lot of good discussion
during that whole week, with both parliamentarians and community members.

"Most of those recommendations were passed by very strong majorities, not
just by bare majoritues but big majorities of those participating."