Pubdate: Thu, 20 Apr 2000
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2000 David Syme & Co Ltd
Contact:  250 Spencer Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia
Website: http://www.theage.com.au/
Author: Hugh Martin
Note: The survey was produced by the service with Turning Point Alcohol and 
Drug Centre.

MOST ADDICTS FAVOR ROOM IDEA: STUDY

Heroin addicts overwhelmingly support the establishment of supervised 
injecting rooms, a survey of 215 of Melbourne's street-based users has found.

The survey of the attitudes of street addicts found 96.2 per cent to be in 
favor of injecting rooms if they were set up in an area where they bought 
and used heroin.

The survey also found that 88.7 per cent of participants would use an 
injecting room instead of the street, with concern for the welfare of the 
wider community being a major factor in forcing their heroin use indoors.

"Injecting rooms are not just one answer to the problem. The public need to 
support safe injecting room not just for use but for themselves and the 
rest of the community," an unidentified 28-year-old woman commented in the 
survey.

It was found that the heroin users who participated in the survey were well 
informed on the issues of supervised injecting rooms and were articulate in 
expressing their views. The participants were also aware of the potential 
health and public benefits that the rooms were expected to deliver for drug 
users and the wider community.

Acting executive officer of Youth Substance Abuse Service Fran Holgate said 
that a major concern of the drug users surveyed was to minimise the harm 
their syringes caused to the wider community.

"We did not know the extent of their concerns for the wider community," Ms 
Holgate said.

The survey was produced by the service with Turning Point Alcohol and Drug 
Centre.
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