DRUG TRIALS WIN AMA APPROVAL

Australian doctors yesterday voted to support the use of heroin trials
to manage, and ultimately treat, addiction to the drug.

Delegates to the Australian Medical Association's national conference
in Canberra yesterday passed a motion put forward by Victorian doctors
endorsing the use of heroin trials, increasing the pressure on the
Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, to end his opposition to alternative
therapies for drug-users.

The association's national conference, which voted for the measure,
also convincingly returned Dr David Brand as president.

The federal vice-president, Dr Sandra Hacker, who was also comfortably
re-elected, said law enforcement had failed to curb the use of heroin
and it had to be tackled as a health issue. Dr Hacker said the
increasing number of deaths among young heroin-users made the need for
alternative approaches critical.

Victorian doctor Allan Zimet, who put the motion for a heroin trial,
said present drug policies had failed.

``It is now time to try the medical approach which promotes healing
rather than punishment,'' he said.

``The Swiss heroin trial has shown that prescribed heroin delivered in
a controlled environment with counselling improves the health of
addicts and decreases drug-related crime. Prescribed heroin may assist
addicts to regain control of their lives.''

The AMA has, however, come out against injecting rooms.

Dr Brand said there was no such thing as a ``safe'' injecting
room.

Mr Howard has consistently ruled out the introduction of heroin
trials, most recently at the premiers' conference in April where
Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory both argued for the measure.

Instead, the Government has favored law enforcement through its
$290million Tough on Drugs strategy and treatment through a
$220million program unveiled at the conference.

Dr Brand was comfortably returned as AMA president despite the
challenge mounted by a dissident group led by former president Dr
Bruce Shepherd.

In the leadership ballot, Dr Brand received 92 votes to Dr Shepherd's
42. But his leadership woes are not over. Dr Shepherd vowed yesterday
to pursue his campaign to unseat Dr Brand at an emergency general
meeting in Brisbane in June.

Dr Shepherd believes that under Dr Brand the AMA has become too close
to the Government and he will be writing to all members in the lead-up
to the meeting.

The continued challenge comes amid negotiations between the AMA and
the Government over plans to cap doctor's rebates for treating
patients. Dr Shepherd's group is hostile to any such agreement.

Dr Shepherd said yesterday's vote ``could have been a lot worse'',
particularly because national conference delegates were a ``very
select group''.

But Dr Brand said he was confident of surviving the Brisbane meeting,
particularly as his leadership had been vindicated so strongly yesterday.

A spokesman for the federal Health Minister, Dr Michael Wooldridge,
said the Government ``looks forward to continuing constructive
dialogue with the AMA''.