SUMMIT TOLD: 12 A WEEK WILL DIE

In the week of Sydney's drug summit, Australians will spend several
hundred thousand dollars on illicit drugs and, on average, 12 will die
with needle marks in their arms.

It came as no surprise then to hear Premier Bob Carr state the bold
truth: drug use, legal and illegal, is part of our society and our
culture, ``part of the Australian way of life''.

During summit week ambulance officers will attend 87 drug overdoses in
NSW alone.

Almost 14,000 people will receive drug treatment, 70 will be admitted
to hospital because of illicit drug use, 600 for alcohol-related
illness and 950 for tobacco-related illness.

So grave is the problem that summiteers will do well by Friday
afternoon to grasp the extent of the problem and reach some sort of
consensus on mapping the fight ahead.

``The worst outcome would be to make no progress,'' said co-chair Joan
Kirner, the former Victorian premier.