Pubdate: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Contact: http://www.smh.com.au/ Author: Ardyn Bernoth ANTI-DRUG EXPERTS ATTACK SHUT-DOWN Drug experts warned that the NSW Government was risking the lives of young heroin addicts when it shut down a Sydney needle-exchange clinic yesterday in response to a Sun-Herald photograph of a 13-year-old boy injecting heroin. The Minister for Health, Dr Refshauge, ordered the suspension of the program in Caroline Lane, Redfern, and ordered a review of 350 other needle-exchanges, saying he was "shocked and horrified" by the image of the young addict. But he agreed to consider establishing a high-level task force of health professionals to examine drug abuse after health workers and church groups warned that reviewing the needle-exchange program would do little to tackle the crisis. "No-one likes to see kids injecting drugs, but anyone who believes that closing a needle syringe exchange program is somehow going to stop kids using drugs is missing the point entirely," said Mr David Crosbie, chief executive of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia. "Imagine the problem if these kids weren't able to get clean syringes. They're suddenly at risk for a whole range of blood-borne diseases like hepatitis C and HIV-AIDS." The decision to shut down the Redfern needle-exchange program comes eight weeks before the March 27 State election, and in the middle of a campaign in which both sides have nominated law and order as central policies. Both have been accused of knee-jerk responses to complex issues of crime and sentencing. The drugs campaigner Mr Tony Trimingham, who lost his son to drugs, said: "We're in election mode and politicians from both sides are promoting policies that they think appeal to popular demand, but I'm actually not so sure that they are reading it correctly. "We are looking for new ways of dealing with [the heroin problem], not back to the dark old days of coming down hard with law enforcement and shutting things down." The needle-exchange program was established 10 years ago to stop the spread of AIDS and is widely regarded as an enormous success, with fewer addicts contracting HIV. Professor Ron Penny of St Vincent's Hospital, the former chairman of the NSW Ministerial Advisory Committee on AIDS, said the drug issue needed to be the focus of a high-level committee which could advise the Government. Professor Penny said the issue was always changing and needed to be constantly reviewed in a bipartisan environment by professionals without being compromised by politics. Dr Refshauge planned to meet Professor Penny today and would "listen very carefully to what he proposes", a spokesman for the minister said last night. The director of the drug and alcohol service at St Vincent's, Dr Alex Wodak, warned that cocaine was replacing heroin as Sydney's main injecting drug, and cocaine addicts needed a hit up to 20 times a day, compared with three or four times for heroin users. If users could not get clean needles they would be forced to use syringes more than once. The Opposition Leader, Mrs Chikarovski, said she would support a bipartisan, independent inquiry. Yesterday Dr Refshauge and the Premier, Mr Carr, admitted the Government had to work harder in the battle against drugs. As a result of the review of the needle-exchange program, the State may change its role in handing drug-injecting kits to children. Rather than providing them with kits, the Government will examine whether it should try to help the under-16s by referring them for treatment, a spokesman for Dr Refshauge said. The Government said there were other clinics in Redfern and Newtown which would be given additional staff. - --- MAP posted-by: Rich O'Grady