HEROIN TOLL SOARS TO RECORD LEVEL

A record 225 Victorians have died from heroin overdoses so far this year -
a five-fold increase on the 1993 toll.

The victims were mostly male, aged about 30, unemployed and, at the time of
death, were not regular heroin users.

They did, however, tend to have histories of drug abuse and were likely to
have survived previous overdoses.

They often died alone, in their homes, and in such ``hot-spot'' suburbs as
St Kilda, Dandenong, Fitzroy and Footscray and in the city. The deaths
occurred most frequently on Thursdays, and many of the victims had hepatitisC.

A study of heroin deaths by the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine's
associate professor, Dr Olaf Drummer, was presented to an overdose
conference yesterday convened by the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre.

Dr Drummer said more than 80per cent of victims of fatal heroin overdoses
were multiple drug users. Most frequently they had also used tranquillisers
or alcohol, which contributed to heroin's toxic effects.

Heroin overdoses could occur within minutes, Dr Drummer said, and some
users died with syringes still stuck in their arms. Others collapsed and
died several hours after injecting themselves.

Dr Drummer said there were now more cases where the dead had no morphine in
their urine, which indicated almost instant death.

``Certainly in the past two or three years there's a much higher incidence
of people who die suddenly and not having used heroin recently,'' he said.

``There's an element there of occasional users who are dying from heroin
use, rather than regular users.''

The rate of deaths has risen as heroin has become cheaper, more pure and
more readily obtainable.

Dr Drummer's study looked at the 280 heroin deaths that occurred in
Victoria from January 1997 to June 1998.

Most victims were male (85per cent) with an average age of 30, while female
victims were aged 29 on average. But the age range for the entire sample
varied from 14 to 58.

Those who overdosed in public places or in the company of others had a much
greater chance of being discovered and treated.

The Melbourne ambulance service revives an average of five heroin overdose
victims a day.

One paramedic, Mr Nick Roder, told the conference that the escalating
heroin toll was becoming as devastating for his colleagues as the road toll
of the late 1980s.

The record rate of 225 heroin deaths so far this year compares with a total
of 186 last year, and about 45 in 1993.

Of the heroin users revived by ambulance officers, 83per cent refused to go
to hospital or to seek further medical assistance.

Mr Roder welcomed the Direct Response to Overdose Program, a service
launched yesterday by Turning Point. From January, it will link overdose
survivors with treatment services.

Ambulance officers and other specialist agencies will be able to refer
people to the program.

Turning Point's director, Ms Margaret Hamilton, said: ``Our aim is to do
what we can to help prevent them dying.''

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski