Pubdate: Wed, 12 Dec 2001
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2001 The Age Company Ltd
Contact:  http://www.theage.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5

STATISTICS POINT TO DRUG DEATH DROP

SYDNEY - Emphasis on treatment and helping addicts turn their lives around 
has led to a drop in heroin overdose deaths in NSW, the state government 
said today.

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and National 
Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) for the year 2000 showed a 38 per 
cent decrease in heroin overdose deaths in NSW in the key 15 to 44-year age 
group, Special Minister of State John Della Bosca said.

While it was not possible to attribute individual causes to the turnaround, 
the government's commitment to the recommendations of the 1999 drug summit 
played a big part, he said.

"There's no doubt that the NSW government drug summit ... and the $176 
million committed to the summit's recommendations have contributed to 
improvements to the drug outcomes everywhere," he said.

"We're happy that the emphasis on treatment, the emphasis on diverting 
people out of the crime/drug cycle into treatment, getting them off drugs, 
allowing them opportunities to to turn their lives around, may be a 
significant part of the explanation for a ... very major decrease in heroin 
overdose deaths in NSW."

Mr Della Bosca said initiatives like the youth drug court was the sort of 
thing the government thought was "making real progress".

"What we're trying to concentrate on is finding out those things that are 
working best, most cost-efficiently and concentrate on those things that 
save lives and turn lives around," he said.

The NSW drug summit, touted by Premier Bob Carr as a "a no-holds barred, 
non-party examination of the drug problem", was held in May 1999.

It included addresses to parliament, working groups, panel discussions and 
field trips, with about 60 drug experts, community leaders, families and 
interest groups participating.
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