Pubdate: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 Source: Canberra Times (Australia) Contact: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/ Author: Liz Armitage and AAP CHURCH LEADER BACKS HEROIN ROOMS, TRIAL One of Australia's most senior church leaders, Reverend Gregor Henderson, has voiced his support for safe-injecting rooms and a properly conducted heroin trial. The Uniting Church's national general secretary, Mr Henderson also has called on the Federal Government to show leadership in the drug debate. At a remembrance ceremony in Canberra for those who had lost their lives to illicit drugs, he said, ' It is not right that people die when new approaches and treatments are available but governments lack the courage to permit them.' Recognising one of the new approaches, a charge against a Kings Cross clergyman over a heroin ' shooting gallery' was dropped yesterday by NSW police. Uniting Church pastor the Reverend Ray Richmond, 61, was summonsed last August to appear in court charged with aiding and abetting the self-administration of a prohibited drug, after allegedly helping two men inject heroin at the Wayside Chapel in May. The chapel's so-called tolerance room became Australia's first church-run ' shooting gallery' when it opened amid controversy on May 3. It closed on May 13. Mr Henderson said the Uniting Church in Canberra had recently adopted a new drugs policy which supported a scientific heroin trial within a framework of community education, law enforcement, and rehabilitation. He would look at adopting a national drugs policy for the Uniting Church. ' It's time we stopped treating drug users as criminals and started treating them with compassion as people who need help,' Mr Henderson said. ''By our attitudes we are forcing them into the back alleys.' ' [Churches] probably haven't done enough in this area, too.' Church leaders had a powerful role to play in the drug debate because they could challenge their generally conservative constituency to think about the issues. They also had some capacity to influence politicians. ' Federally they could give a bit more leadership,' he said. ''There is no doubt about that. ' It would be excellent if the Federal Government [would at least] support community organisations - like churches - and state governments in trying new things to help drug users.' - --- MAP posted-by: manemez j lovitto