Pubdate: Thu, 16 Dec 1999
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Contact:  http://www.smh.com.au/
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Author: John Grundy

HOW ABOUT INJECTION OF COMMONSENSE

The continuing farce over the implementation of "safe injecting rooms" is
symptomatic of much that is wrong with government today.

In their rush to pander to pressure groups, governments are looking to
condone, even encourage, the breaking of a law that they themselves made.
In doing so they are bringing the law into disrepute and making their own
function as lawmakers and upholders ridiculous.

How are the law enforcement authorities going to cope with the fact that in
order to use the injecting rooms, the participants will have had to break
the law?

Are we going to set up delivery points next to them, so as not to
inconvenience the addicts and their suppliers? As one of my mentors said on
many occasions, "If a rule is bad, don't break it, change it." Surely the
same wisdom applies to the law.

Too often we have governments making laws and not supplying the resources
necessary for their enforcement. The mechanics of the enforcement should be
an integral part of any legislation, not something left to the police
force, which in many areas has all but given up. And who could blame them?

John Grundy,
Chiswick
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