THE BOTTOM LINE: HEROIN TRIAL COULD SAVE LIVES

I HAVE never used heroin myself but lived with and loved an addict. She was
the daughter of Duncan Campbell (Addicts Deserve a Dose of Empathy,
Opinion, 29/10) and it was I who found her - too late - on our kitchen floor.

Jennifer's desperation to break free from her addiction, and the courage
she showed in battling it, will be an inspiration to me for the rest of my
life.

The problem of how to deal with heroin addiction and help those in its trap
is an extremely complex one. While methadone can bring some stability to an
addict's life, it is far more difficult to get off than heroin and is a
trap in itself.

Naltrexone deals with the physical addiction, but does nothing to help
someone cope with a life suddenly devoid of opium's rose-coloured glasses.

The failure of the recent attempt to run a trial on administering heroin to
addicts makes me angry. A trial - nothing more - to see if it would help
people and save some lives.

The self-righteous among us seem to think that if heroin were legally
available, then everyone would race out to use it - except for themselves.
What a low opinion of others these people have. Their arrogance leaves me
speechless.

Who can say whether the availability of such a clinical heroin treatment
might have meant that Jennifer would still be with me. We may never know.

JOHN HELLER

Darlinghurst, NSW

I SINCERELY hope the Prime Minister has read Thursday's Opinion page
article by Duncan Campbell.

We should end at once the so-called "war on drugs". This war is one waged
against the citizens of Australia. A war in which the casualties are: The
children addicted, the years people spend in prison for no offence against
another, the deaths from overdoses, the infections with AIDS and hepatitis.

Legalise the lot, so people won't have to turn to crime to buy unknown
powders containing potential hazards, paying thousands of times the
intrinsic value. Law enforcement is an abject failure. Let the medical
community deal with it, not the courts.

BEAR STANLEY

Atherton, QId

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski