PRESCRIBED HEROIN WILL SAVE LIVES, SAY DOCTORS

DOCTORS yesterday backed a trial of prescribed heroin, saying current
approaches were failing addicts.

The proposal, put forward by Victorian doctors, was endorsed by the
Australian Medical Association's national conference in Canberra.

"It is now time to try the medical approach, which promotes healing
rather than punishment," said AMA Victorian board member Allan Zimet.

"Current drug policies have failed to curb increases in the number of
drug-related deaths and drug-associated crime. "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," he said.

"Prescribed heroin may assist addicts to regain control of their
lives. Prescription and counselling allows them to focus on gaining
employment, housing and address their reasons for using heroin rather
than fixating on their next hit."

AMA president David Brand also called on the Government to devote the
tax it collected from underage smokers - at least $64 million annually
to a campaign to reduce the number of smoking-related deaths,
currently at 18,000 a year.

The AMA also launched a campaign aimed at passive smokers.

Australian Council on Smoking and Health spokesman Keith Woollard said
that the campaign, to be conducted through doctors' surgeries around
the country, was aimed at getting non-smokers not to put themselves at
risk by attending bars and other venues where smoking was allowed.

Queensland and the Northern Territory tied for the association's
annual ashtray awards for those States that had done the least to curb
smoking in the previous 12 months.