HEROIN KILLS RECORD 142

A record number of people have died from heroin in Victoria this year,
but the rate has slowed over the past few months.

Figures provided by the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine show
142 people died after taking heroin - the highest toll for the first
half of a year.

A researcher at the institute said there could be as many as another
10 deaths yet to be classified as heroin-related, which would push the
toll to about 20 deaths higher than at the same time last year.

Victoria had its highest number of heroin deaths last year, when 268
people died after taking the drug. When 35 users died in January, some
suggested the toll could exceed 400 this year. But the figures show
the rate has slowed to about 20 deaths a month.

A senior researcher at Turning Point drug and alcohol centre, Mr Greg
Rumbold, who monitors fatal and non-fatal overdoses, said it was
difficult to determine why the death rate had eased off, but the
figures were still disturbing.

He said ambulance records for the first three months of the year
showed officers were attending more non-fatal overdoses than for the
same period last year.

Mr Rumbold said deaths were generally related to people consuming
heroin in conjunction with other substances, such as alcohol and
benzodiazepines (tranquillisers, including valium and rohypnol).

Many experts believe there should be trial use of safe injecting
facilities, where users would have a much greater chance of being
resuscitated if they overdosed.

Heroin users just released from jail and those who had recently
undergone treatment also stood a greater risk of overdosing, as their
tolerance levels were lower, Mr Rumbold said.

Most heroin deaths occurred at home, where users were much more likely
to inject on their own and therefore stood little chance of being
discovered and revived.

The Australian Medical Association reported yesterday that rapid
detoxification of heroin addicts may not be as effective a treatment
as first thought, as many addicts were relapsing into drug use.

A study published in the latest edition of the Medical Journal of
Australia found many patients started using heroin again and the
retention rate on maintenance programs was low.