Ministers in support of ACT heroin trial

By medical writer JUSTINE FERRARI

August 1: The first Australian trial providing heroin to registered
users will proceed in the ACT as part of the evaluation of a range of
new treatments approved by the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy
yesterday.

A meeting of federal, State and Territory health, police and justice
ministers in Cairns yesterday voted six to three in favour of the first
stage of the ACT trial, which will supply heroin to 40 Canberra heroin
users.

A vote on the trial was called by Queensland, which, with Western
Australia and the Northern Territory, opposed the ACT heroin trial.

Tasmania reversed its previous opposition to the trial after receiving
guarantees that the State's $100 million poppy industry would not be
harmed and NSW, which had only previously given conditional support,
joined Victoria, South Australia and the Commonwealth in supporting the
trial.

The ACT must first gain approval from the United Nations to ensure
Australia is not in breach of international treaties on narcotic drugs
and illicit trafficking of narcotics, which only allow heroin to be used
for medical and scientific purposes, not to assess social outcomes.

The earliest that approval could be granted is February and, provided
the ACT is successful, the earliest the trial could start is next July.

But while Commonwealth officials privately say the ACT has a 5050
chance of obtaining approval, a similar heroin trial in Switzerland also
had to obtain approval and has set a precedent.

Any decision on the second stage of the trial, using 250 Canberra users,
and the third stage, based on 350 addicts in Canberra and two other
cities, is dependent on the outcome of the initial phase.

ACT Chief Minister Kate Carnell said the integrated approach to testing
a number of new treatments, including the controlled availability of
heroin, was the most dramatic breakthrough in drug treatment in
Australia for more than 25 years.

"By going down this path, we're able to compare different modalities,
different drug treatments with methadone and other styles of treatment,"
she said.

Federal Health Minister Michael Wooldridge emphasised the ACT trial was
one of a range of options that might turn out to be more effective than
prescribing heroin.

"I think it's very dangerous to look at heroin as if it's some magic
cure." he said. "It may be totally ineffective."

As well as the heroin trial, in the next three or four months Victoria
will trial oral or slowrelease morphine; two longacting methadonelike
synthetic opiates, LAAM and Buprenorphine; and Naltrexone, which blocks
the effects of heroin.

South Australia will also trial Naltrexone, Buprenophine and LAAM, as
well as tincture of opium, and NSW will test Buprenorphine and
Naltrexone, with the Commonwealth coordinating and evaluating the
trials.