PROHIBITION IS NOT A BEST PRACTICE

I support the safe injecting rooms opened in Sydney and am very grateful for
the courage of the churches involved in the effort.

I note that the CT (4 May, p.5) ran the story about the "Tolerance Room"
next to an interview with two drug policy experts from Switzerland. They
were reported as saying that safe injecting rooms were the "only
humanitarian ways to deal with the drug problem". They also stated that the
safe injecting rooms and heroin trials in Switzerland meant that addicts
participating in the trials had been able to re-establish family ties,
became reliable and that they reduced their criminal activity.

I remind readers of a Canberra Times article about drug policy published
last year. The 10 November 1998 article was written by Michael Booth, who
said that drug policy in Australia, that is prohibition, was "exempt from
the normal criteria of evidence and best practice". Mr Booth worked for the
Alcohol and Drug Foundation,
Australia; and the Drug Referral and Information Centre; and served on the
Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations.

Prohibition may be solace for those hurt by illicit drug use, but it is not
based on evidence and best practice.

PATRICIA VARGA
Holt