Pubdate: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 Source: Daily Telegraph (Australia) Copyright: News Limited 1999 Page: 12 Contact: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ Author: Harold Allen TREAT THE SICK FIRST THE shooting galleries have been scrapped. hoorah! It's inconceivable money could be spent on self-indulged, self-addicted people. I suffer from Parkinson's disease. The drug I take to control tremors produces horrendous side-effects including hallucinations. A new drug called Tolcapone, developed, trialed and proven successful, eliminates side-effects, giving a better quality of life. The cost for this drug is $360 a month, virtually impossible for a pensioner to afford. The Government refuses to place Tolcapone on the free list and yet contemplates shooting galleries with free needles and medical staff. Surely sufferers of disease should be entitled to treatments before the self-addicted. HAROLD ALLEN Tuncurry - --- MAP posted-by: Patrick Henry