INJECTING ROOM OPENS AT CHAPEL

SYDNEY: An illegal heroin-injecting room run by four churches began
operating in central Sydney yesterday.

The Tolerance Room, or T-Room, opened its doors to addicts between 2pm and
4pm at the Wayside Chapel in Potts Point, near Kings Cross, and will
continue to open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for at least four weeks.

Wayside Chapel spokesman Cameron McKenzie said the facility's first session
was attended by a number of users and was well received.

Organisers intend using the age-old sanctity of the church as a legal means
of avoiding a potential $2200 fine or two years' jail, or both, for aiding
and abetting the self-administration of a prohibited drug.

The move was condemned by Prime Minister John Howard and the NSW Government.

The churches behind the project are the Catholic Church of St Canice, The
Anglican Church of St John, The Wayside Chapel of the Uniting Church and the
Ashfield Uniting Church, according to a document shown to AAP at the Wayside
Chapel last night. The document said the T-Room, which would cost about
$25,000 to operate for a month, might continue if the state Government
failed to change its drug policies after a May 17 drug summit.

Police met last night with representatives of the Wayside Chapel and said
the injecting room could be in breach of the law.

Kings Cross local area commander Superintendent Bob Myatt said police had an
obligation to uphold the law and would not hesitate to act accordingly.

The Wayside Chapel document had said drug-users would enter the chapel
building from Hughes Street where a security guard would be stationed
between 1.30pm and 4.30pm.

A maximum of six users at a time would be given a package containing a 1ml
syringe, a clean plastic spoon, an ampoule of sterile water, a swab to
disinfect the skin, cotton wool to hold on the site of the injection and a
tourniquet.

They would not be allowed to use any other equipment, inject anywhere apart
from an arm or a leg, be shown how to inject the drug, exchange money or
drugs and must be over 18 and a regular drug-user.

They could be barred from the T-Room if they breached the rules.

Medical assistance and advice on getting off drugs was also to be available.

"Visitors who already appear intoxicated with alcohol or other drugs will
not be permitted to enter the injecting room," the document said.

"During the two hours of operation visitors are only permitted to inject once."

The addicts were required to disinfect the table they use, before and after
shooting up, and place the material in bins afterward.

No details of the users would be kept, apart from the number using the
service and the amount of equipment used.

"No register will be kept of names, addresses or any other details of
visitors," the document said.