Pubdate: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 Source: West Australian (Australia) Copyright: 2001 West Australian Newspapers Limited Contact: http://www.thewest.com.au Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/495 Author: Sally Allen SAY NO TO INJECTING ROOMS SO NOW there is a possibility of safe injecting rooms here in WA. Why not attach them to the Next Step Clinic so that they can also top up with the free Methadone program? How are we ever going to have any credibility with the schoolchildren we are teaching to say "no" to drugs when they view addicts taking an illegal substance into a government-funded safe injecting room? Who will be responsible if the addict overdoses? Who will take responsibility for the deeds that they will have to perform to provide their next hit? The safe injecting rooms at Kings Cross are already $3 million in debt and they have been operating only since May 6. Can we afford to prop up a system like this when funds are desperately required for our hospitals? Surely the answer is to rehabilitate the drug users and get them back into the workforce so that they can become valuable members of society again. SALLY ALLEN, Quinns Rocks. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom