Drug Injecting Rooms on the agenda again

The issues never seem to go away. Many years ago, in 1999, we were part of a coaliton set up in Victoria to campaign against the introduction of drug injecting rooms in Victoria.

The Community Coalition for a Drug-Free Societywas formed and successfully prevented the injecting rooms being established. Although the policy was promoted by Steve Bracks, it was abandoned after Steve Bracks and Labor won power.

At the time a report was published - it was written by Prof David Penington and numerous poublic meetings were held around Melbourne dealing with the issue.

David Penington hasn't given up. He is to launch a new report next month, published by the Burnet Institute, that calls for the introduction of drug injecting rooms in Melbourne. Apparently the report, The Potential and Viability for Establishing a Supervised Injecting Facility in Melbourne, also raises the "possibility of mobile drug-injecting facilities so users do not congregate in one permanent place and the service can move between where users are - from Footscray to Victoria Street, Richmond, for example".

Read the media report:
Fresh push for safe-injecting rooms - The Age, May 23, 2010.

We're still opposed to injecting rooms - and the evidence shows they haven't worked in Sydney or in Europe.

Harm minimisation is always a flawed policy - what we really need to do is to help people deal with their addiction and get off drugs rather than assist them in taking them.