LEGALISE ADDICTS' HEROIN: EXPERTS

AUSTRALIAN doctors should be allowed to prescribe heroin to long-term
addicts to prevent fatal overdoses, crime and the spread of
blood-borne viruses, leading addiction specialists say.

Dr Alex Wodak, director of the alcohol and drug service at Sydney's
St Vincent's Hospital, called for Canberra to investigate whether
long-term addicts who fail rehabilitation programs should be given a
last-resort option of receiving the drug on prescription.

"This group may be 5 per cent of all heroin users, but they have the
biggest habit, and they account for a disproportionate amount of the
crime," he said.

"They may also be the ones that recruit new users, so getting that
group out of the street heroin market and into treatment will benefit
everyone. It would also mean the rest of the community would
experience less crime and pay lower insurance premiums as a result."

He said although Australia had experienced heroin shortages over the
past decade, it was still one of the most damaging drugs, with about
400 deaths a year. "This is close to the number of Australians who
died during the Vietnam War. It's a lot of young lives to lose every
year and shrug your shoulders at."

Professor Jon Currie, director of addiction medicine at St Vincent's
Health in Melbourne, supported the call, saying overseas research
showed heroin prescription stabilised long-term problem users,
improving their chances of recovery. "It's a bit like insulin for
diabetics," he said.

The call comes after Germany legalised the prescription of heroin in
May, following a trial that found it reduced crime, blood-borne
viruses and overdose fatalities in major cities over four years.

The country's new laws allow people over 23, who have used heroin for
more than five years and failed in rehabilitation, to receive the
drug in specialised centres.

Switzerland also introduced similar laws last year.