Pubdate: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 Source: Canberra Times (Australia) Contact: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/ Author: Loren E. Clive CHEAP HEROIN DOESN'T MEAN INCREASED USE MR SIEVERS at least acknowledges that legalising heroin is a viable option which must be explored ("Take care not to leap into an abyss", Letters, March 8). However, his argument that lowering the price of heroin will encourage people to try it is faulty. In the Netherlands, where such a legalised program exists, the entire nation is not lying around in a heroin-induced stupor. Everyone with any sense knows that heroin leads to addiction. Also, since hash bars are plentiful there, most people prefer innocuous mary jane to lethal heroin. Regardless of whether more people try heroin as a result of its price being lowered, people are trying it now. Don't these addicts deserve protection from overdose and violence? People who are going to try heroin are going to try heroin anyway. I would rather have more people trying heroin, receiving accurate information about it from informed doctors, and having open access to detoxification centres so they can kick their addiction than the present state of things where an addict has nowhere to turn. LOREN E. CLIVE Berkeley, California, USA - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea