USERS PAST REAL HELP - SOURIS

Reformers claimed NSW National Party Leader George Souris had scuppered the
state drug summit yesterday by ruling out any change to drug laws and
labelling heroin addicts ``beyond help''.

Police Commissioner Peter Ryan also admitted that authorities were failing
to stem the tide of heroin entering the country.

Premier Bob Carr and Liberal Leader Kerry Chikarovski stressed they entered
the summit with open minds, but Mr Souris said in his opening address he was
against heroin shooting galleries, allowing addicts to legally inject and
decriminalising cannabis.

``All of these measures represent surrender to the problem,'' Mr Souris
said.

He told an audience of former addicts, academics and politicians that ``many
chronically addicted heroin users are probably beyond any meaningful
assistance''.

``My concern is for those who can still be helped,'' he said, calling for
more resources to keep children off drugs.

Drug reform campaigner Tony Trimingham accused the Coalition of approaching
the summit with a closed mind.

``It's very unlikely that we'll get anything reasonable out of this week
because of the Coalition and their attitude towards the summit,'' he said.

``Their attitude is close-minded ... not prepared to countenance anything
that isn't an increase in the law-and-order mechanisms.''

Greens MLC Ian Cohen said he was disappointed with Mr Souris' comments but
he still hoped common ground could be found for reform.

Mr Ryan told the summit that drugs were more than a law enforcement problem
and policing alone would not solve it.

He pointed out that police seized more than 700kg of heroin in 1997/98.

``That had no effect whatsoever on the purity or street value of heroin at
all, so it gives you some indication of the volume that's coming into the
country,'' he said.

Mr Ryan called for tighter controls on methadone programs and needle
exchanges which could have a ``honeypot'' effect in areas where they were
set up.

``Crime tends to increase, drug dealers prey on addicts, businesses close
down; there's a general degradation of the social fabric in the area which
begins to fall into dereliction,'' he said.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research director Don Weatherburn said
prohibiting drugs such as heroin increased crime, police corruption and
organised crime.

But he said legalising heroin would be a Pyrrhic victory because it would
reduce the wider harm to society but increase the damage to individuals.