AMA BACKS HEROIN TRIAL

The Australian Medical Association has backed the proposed ACT heroin trial
and was prepared to clinically supervise its procedures, the AMA's
president, Dr David Brand, said yesterday.

But the ACT Government has responded sceptically, with a spokesman for
Chief Minister Kate Carnell saying the AMA had supported the original
proposal for a heroin trial in 1997, but that its courage had flagged when
the Howard Government and several talkback radio commentators attacked the
idea.

After "quite a bit" of internal debate, Dr Brand said the AMA now supported
the trial as the best way of gaining critical scientific knowledge of the
"very difficult problem" of how society could manage heroin addiction.

On the Seven Network's Face to Face program, Dr Brand called on the
Commonwealth to fund a 20-year research effort into heroin addiction, and
though a heroin trial was not a "magic cure", it would add an "extra arm"
to medical knowledge. However the ACT Government spokesman said, "When we
were very much under the pumps, when The Daily Telegraph and Alan Jones and
John Howard were attacking us, the AMA and other groups didn't help us very
much."

Federal Health Minister Dr Michael Wooldridge, also interviewed yesterday
on Seven, said that although he once supported the ACT heroin trial, his
colleagues took the view that a trial would send the wrong signal.

Dr Wooldridge said "heroin was no magic solution" to the problem of
addiction. "We've got sixteen other heroin substitute trials going around
Australia. Had we just focused on heroin we might have missed some of the
very good results that appear likely to come out of those other trials," he
said.

As for Victoria's Premier Jeff Kennett's support of a heroin trial, Dr
Wooldridge said Mr Kennett was engaged in rewriting history.

"Jeff Kennett didn't support a heroin trial in 1997. He's rewriting
history. But I'm glad he's on board now for trying to do something about
this problem."

However, the Howard Government is under pressure to take firm action on
heroin and drug-related deaths and, despite his critical statements, Dr
Wooldridge seemed to give ground a little yesterday, admitting there were
"big gaps in treatment", even in his own seat of Casey in Melbourne's outer
suburbs.

Dr Wooldridge then announced that the second round of grants to be made
under the $270 million four-year Tough on Drugs campaign would be brought
forward; and though he did not go into specifics, he suggested that more
funds might be granted at the Premiers' Conference in April.

"We're going to fund community organisations who'd run the treatment
ourselves. We're not going to run direct treatment facilities at a
Commonwealth level," he said.

Dr Wooldridge also said that sending drug offenders to rehabilitation,
rather than jail, was an option.

The ACT Government regards it as unlikely that a heroin trial would be
possible under the second Howard Government. The spokesman said that a
heroin trial was still an option, among others, but supporters of one had
to be serious about it.

"There's some hope the heroin trial might be conducted in another state,"
the spokesman said.

South Australian Drug and Alcohol Services Council medical officer Robert
Ali said his group supported heroin trials if they were part of
rehabilitation treatment programs.

The council's 35-page submission to the SA House of Assembly Select
Committee on a Heroin Rehabilitation Trial canvassed a number of
treatments, some already in use and others, such as use of Naltrexone,
buprenorphine and LAAM, only just or not yet available in the state.

SA Human Services Minister Dean Brown, a former premier, said the council's
views should be given serious consideration, but he said the Government did
not yet have a firm position on heroin trials.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton contradicted
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley by saying Australia's international
obligations did not prevent a heroin trial.

And Queensland Premier Peter Beattie called for a national advertising
campaign using shock tactics to prevent young people using illegal drugs.
"Not enough emphasis has been put on preventing the illegal use of drugs.
Shooting galleries and heroin trials only cover the end problem," Mr
Beattie said.