USERS SAY STIGMA IS THE BIGGEST KILLER

A heroin addict urged delegates at the NSW drug summit yesterday to drop the
junkie stereotype and treat users with respect.

Well dressed and articulate, Annie Madden of the NSW Users and AIDS
Association stood in Parliament's Legislative Council and tearfully admitted
she had used heroin for 13 years.

Ms Madden, who has been in and out of methadone programs for six years, said
many drug users did not seek help because they were scared of being
stigmatised by families, friends and authorities.

"Discrimination is killing us," she said.

"Drug users are not the enemy, we are real people suffering a great deal of
unnecessary pain, illness and death.

"Drug users are part of the community, we are your children, your sisters
and brothers."

Ms Madden is the only injecting drug user among the 200-plus delegates at
the five-day summit, which began on Monday.

She defended the methadone program, which Police Commissioner Peter Ryan
said acted as a honeypot for criminals.

"I can state without any hesitation that I would not be standing here before
you if it wasn't for the methadone maintenance program," she said.

At a press conference following her speech, Ms Madden agreed there was an
element of personal choice in drug use.

Ms Madden estimated there were 300,000 intravenous drug users in Australia,
220,000 occasional users and 80,000 dependent on drugs.

She said many drug users lived productive lives and were not involved in
crime, prostitution or other activities associated with the junkie stereotype.