A YEAR AFTER PM SAID NO, DRUG DEATHS CONTINUE

TODAY (19 August) it is one year since the Prime Minister "sent a message"
to the people of Australia by vetoing the Canberra heroin trial.

In that year the families and friends of hundreds of heroin users have
woken to the police knock at the door, driven to morgues to identify their
children or siblings, and organised funerals and graves for their lost
loved ones. I did it 10 years ago when my brother died, aged 25. His
friends were too scared to call an ambulance for fear of police involvement.

As they receive sympathy cards and deal with funeral directors, how many
families whose sons and daughters died from heroin overdoses over the last
year would have recalled John Howard's "message" and drawn comfort from it?

HEATHER BROOK
Ainslie
(Member, Families & Friends for Drug Law Reform ACT inc.)

Checked-by: Pat Dolan