DOCTOR HITS MOBILE VAN FOR ADDICTS

A MOBILE free 'clean needles' van for drug addicts on the Gold Coast
will attract drug dealers 'like flies to rotting meat', says the State
Government's regional medical officer.

Dr John Carlyle also said yesterday that drug addicts needed to be
detained and treated - not given free needles from the back of 'Mr
Whippy vans'.

He said a 12-month needle van trial by the Gold Coast AIDS Association
and Injections Newsline (GAIN) could entice people to start using heroin.

Dr Carlyle said free needle programs like the GAIN van trial had been
set up to stop the spread of AIDS, but highly infectious hepatitis C,
which was spread by intravenous drug users and could lead to cirrhosis
and liver cancer, was a major infectious disease problem.

The city council's co-ordination committee yesterday recommended not
to support the GAIN van trial, backing a motion from Southport
councillor Dawn Crichlow who said the State Government should listen
to the council's message and stop giving out free needles from the
GAIN van immediately.

"How any government can finance illegal activities like heroin
injection is beyond me," said Cr Crichlow.

GAIN president Jonathon Davis said the needles van trial had been
authorised by the State Government and 'we don't need council support,
they don't have legal power over us'.

Mr Davis said the trial would continue. "I haven't seen one dealer
anywhere near our van... but we will help prosecute anyone caught
dealing," he said.

The GAIN van had operated on the Coast at night for almost four
months.

Dr Carlyle said research showed needle users of less than three years
had a 34 per cent chance of contracting hepatitis C, 75 per cent after
three years and 90 per cent after seven years.

"It doesn't matter if they are clean or dirty needles," said Dr
Carlyle. This was because 47 per cent of clean needles were exchanged
among friends and 42 per cent among sexual partners.

Dr Carlyic said evidence from the Coast showed free needle programs
encouraged dealers to collect clean needles and set up 'shooting houses'.

He also noted the risk to the community and said council workers would
have to be indemnified by WorkCover.

Dr Carlyle spoke out strongly against free needle vans with a NSW
retired police inspector, Graham Ross, at yesterday's co-ordination
committee meeting.

Mr Ross, who worked with drug addicts in Kings Cross, said needle vans
in Sydney attracted violent addicts.