TEENS `TURN TO HEROIN FIRST'

The number of teenagers and women using heroin is increasing, with
many naming heroin as the first drug they injected, a study has found.

The research, by the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in
Melbourne, has given a disturbing picture of heroin overdoses and
changing patterns of use of the drug. It is based on information from
ambulance officers.

While noting increased use of heroin among young people and women, the
study's preliminary findings show that overdose victims in Melbourne
are most likely to be male, aged about 27 and most likely to overdose
on a Thursday.

The study found that ambulances in Melbourne attended an average of
five overdoses every day, with most overdoses happening in the city,
Collingwood, Fitzroy, St Kilda, Springvale, Dandenong and Footscray.

Researchers at Turning Point also found that the falling price of
heroin was fuelling a growing street scene.

In other findings, injecting drug users were highly likely to be using
a number of different drugs and there was a high rate of non-fatal
overdoses among heroin users.

The head of Turning Point's EpiCentre research team, Dr Greg Rumbold,
said in the centre's annual report that the study's aim was to collect
as much information as possible about each drug user and their overdose.

``With this information we can get a clear picture of how many people
are overdosing on heroin each week, where most of the overdoses are
occurring, what time of day is the most common and what happens to the
people once they have been treated,'' he said.

Dr Rumbold said the study, which is continuing, gave a more accurate
picture of the extent of the heroin problem in Melbourne.

He said the information would be useful in helping service providers
with advice about where prevention campaigns should be targeted and
how to monitor their success.

The Department of Human Services will fund the Heroin Overdose Project
for another 12 months.

In 1997/98 there were 46,000 calls to the helpline, 3000 more than the
previous year.

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady