Pubdate: Monday, 15 March 1999 Source: NT News (Australia) Contact: GPO Box 1300, Darwin NT 0801, Australia Fax: +61 8 8981 6045 Copyright: 1999 NT News Author: Gary Mills WELL DONE 'CASSIE' Former heroin addict and prostitute 'Cassie' claims morphine drug abuse in epidemic proportions in Darwin. Whilst some politicians and go gooders appear to be joined together with an umbilical cord of intransigent stupidity, 'Cassie' clearly targets boredom, ignorance and alienation as the reason some NT kids use drugs. The courage of 'Cassie' speaking out is a welcome change to the epidemic of gutlessness towards drug abuse in the NT. Denial by the NT Government of a growing problem and quotes there are only 342 known intravenous drug users leaves questions to be asked: * If all NT doctors stop prescribing morphine, will the addicts be forced to go 'full heroin' at $500 to $800 per day? * At only the alleged 300 odd IV addicts in the NT, this is a quarter of a million dollars squeezed out of the NT addicts in direct cost every day. * 'Cassie' was able to pay for her drugs by prostitution, but other less physically attractive drug users will be reliant on theft for their drug money. * It's not only drug users who will die because of increased drug use, it is only a matter of time before a shop or service station attendant is killed in a drug-related armed robbery. * Recent expeditions by criminal gang members from Cabrammatta NSW have been taken care of very well by NT police and most leave the NT after getting out of jail, but if the IV drug scene grows they will be back. The we will pay a terrible social cost. * It's time some people stopped being three stupid monkeys who see nothing, hear nothing and do nothing. - --- MAP posted-by: Rich O'Grady