HEROIN DEATHS SOAR

HEROIN deaths are increasing rapidly, with more than 250 people dying
from overdoses last year.

And already this year, two heroin users each day have lost their lives
after playing Russian roulette with a needle.

Chief Insp. John McKoy, head of the drug squad, said while police did
not condone heroin use, they were desperate to prevent more fatalities.

Chief Insp. McKoy pleaded with heroin addicts to take precautions when
using the drug or they were risking death.

"We recognise that heroin users are victims of the insidious heroin
trade and, as members of the community, we seek to protect them from
the ultimate penalty that many heroin users are now paying," he said.

Statistics from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine released
yesterday show about 250 people died from heroin overdoses last year,
a jump of 64 from the previous year.

Of those heroin users who died in 1998, 85 per cent were
male.

Their ages ranged from 14 to 55 years, and while 132 were unemployed,
13 were students, 12 were pensioners, six were chefs and six were machinists.

St Kilda had the highest number of deaths last year with
13.

There were 11 deaths in both Melbourne and Dandenong, 10 in Fitzroy,
nine in Footscray and seven in each of Reservoir, Northcote and Frankston.

Most overdose deaths were in the homes (184) followed by deaths in
cars (17) and public toilets (17). Deaths also occurred on church
grounds, in prison and on the beach.

Chief Insp. McKoy said heroin deaths first soared in
1991.

New dealers at that time started to sell better quality heroin at
cheaper prices and increased the trade.

In 1991, 49 people died from heroin overdoses. But the number rose
quickly to 98 in 1992 and 140 in 1995.

Chief Insp. McKoy said the quality of heroin being sold had jumped
from 10per cent purity in 1991 to up to 80per cent today.

He said police crackdowns on the drug trade, including the seizure of
400kg – valued at up to $400million – on a New South Wales beach last
year, were having effect.

An indication of the success was the 20 per cent increase in the price
of heroin to up to $1000 a gram in recent days as heroin supplies
dwindled, he said.

Dr Greg Rumbold, of the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, urged
addicts to use caution when taking heroin and:

ALWAYS use heroin in the company of others so they can call an
ambulance if needed.

LEARN the purity of the drug purchased.

DON'T become blase about death after surviving overdoses.