MAKE HEROIN USE LEGAL, SAYS LAWYER

PROMINENT Wollongong solicitor Craig Osborne is an advocate for the
introduction of shooting galleries and the legalisation of heroin.

Mr Osborne, who is a senior partner at Russell, McClelland and Brown and a
member of the Wollongong and District Law Society, believes that from a
legal perspective these moves would make good sense.

``From a legal point of view, I am very attracted to measures that can be
put in place to take away from the people who benefit financially from
heroin trade,'' he said.

``Firstly because people are making huge sums of money from the sale of
heroin, and secondly, so people who are addicted will know what they are
getting and when they are getting it so they won't have to steal to get it.''

A staggering 80 per cent of property crime is drug-related according to the
Bureau of Criminology, a statistic Mr Osborne would like to see reduced.

``I think measures to control heroin usage will take away an enormous
amount of crime,'' he said.

``(But) we have to see heroin addicts as people in the community who
deserve our resources and our help.''

The real key though, Mr Osborne said, was education.

``Children from kindergarten onwards need to be educated about their body,
about the effects of heroin addiction on them physically, mentally and
socially,'' he said.