WHY IS your reporter (Daily Telegraph, June 28) so surprised at the
openness of the drug dealing at Kings Cross?

I live close to Roslyn St, so I see these people every day, as do most
of the people living around the Cross.

I also see the results of the dealers' operations, shooting up on the
steps of the local church and passed out in doorways.

There are always syringes in the gutters. For some reason, though, the
police do not seem to be able stop the dealers or are not interested
in what is going on under their noses.

If politicians would only get their heads out of the sand and do
something constructive we could get rid of this in one fell swoop.

There is a lot of talk about providing shooting galleries - why not go
the whole hog, do it properly and supply the drugs.

That way you get rid of the middleman and it introduces some element
or control.

It is a hard choice to take but, for all the political rhetoric, the
situation is just getting worse.

I believe that many years ago heroin used to be supplied under
prescription but because of pressure from the American Government,
addicts lost their safe supply and were forced into finding
alternative sources. Of course, the criminal elements welcomed these
changes with open arms.

There will be a lot of people who will think this is a dumb idea - but
the alternative is just not working.

Treating addicts as criminals only leads to more crime and the time
has come to be realistic.

L. CLARKE,
Elizabeth Bay