Melbourne

Frankfurt has had a steady decrease in the number of people dying from drug overdoses since the city introduced injecting rooms in 1991. By 1996, fewer than 50 people died each year. In Victoria, the total has been climbing steadily since 1991, to more than 160 deaths in 1996.

New statistics show that the Melbourne ambulance service attends 180 overdoses a month, or almost 6 a day. In most cases Narcan can be administered and the patient comes-to immediately. A report last year by the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence cited the absence of reporting systems for the non-fatal overdoses as a reason for the lack of a clear understanding about Australians' heroin use.

Following the mayor's heroin trial proposal, the Victorian Government said that they would endorse a national trial but not approve one held only in Melbourne. The Premier said that such trials in Melbourne could be counter-productive by attracting drug barons as well as users from other states. Educationionalists, students, and several medical bodies
applauded the calls.

Mayor Deveson later agreed that the council did not have the power to set up injection rooms, but he said "we're reaching a point where more young people between 15 and 25 are dying of drug overdoses than road death. We haven't reached that point, but we will very soon if we don't consider an alternative".

The Lord Mayor states that his concern for Melbourne stems from his experience working in Detroit in the 1960s where he saw a degradation in standards. Over the past few years, many more areas of Melbourne have developed a very visible street-trade in heroin. Demand for syringes in the city had trebled in the past 3 years.

HEROIN USE INCREASING, ESPECIALLY AMONG YOUNG AND FEMALE Victorian Drug Trends 1997, a federally commissioned report and the most comprehensive assessment of illicit drug use in Victoria, reveals an alarming trend for users to be younger and female. Polydrug abuse was also on the increase. Heroin may no longer be regarded as a "hard drug" by the drug community. "In the past, drug users would say to us that they and their friends wouldn't use heroin -- heroin was for losers -- but now that's changed," said researcher Dr. Greg Rumbold. He speculated that this could partly be explained because heroin had become more easily available and cheaper. Most respondents (58%) said the price was stable while a third said it had dropped as purity had increased. Just under two-thirds (62%) reported involvement in crime in the previous month and, despite most believing there had been more police activity at the time of the survey, most (60%) said this did not make it harder to get drugs. Forty percent of those involved in criminal activity had dealt in drugs and 36 percent admitted to property crimes.

The survey showed that 56 percent of respondents had overdosed at least once and three-quarters had witnessed an overdose.

Evidence collected also backs up national data showing that most heroin-related overdoses occur in older, more experienced users. The median age of overdose victims attended to by ambulance was 27.

Victoria To Trial 4 Drugs To Facilitate Heroin Addiction Treatment

The first trial will compare two drugs, LAAM and buprenorphine, as maintenance treatment in 522 users, against methadone in 522 users. Another maintenance treatment trial will involve 40 people taking slow-release oral morphine. The third trial will have 250 addicts
taking buprenorphine as a withdrawal treatment. In the final trial, 100 former users taking naltrexone to prevent relapse will be compared with 100 people taking dummy pills.

VICTORIA ANNOUNCES CAUTIONING SCHEME FOR DRUG USERS

Following the success of a 6 month trial, Victoria announced that from September 1, first-time cannabis users will be cautioned if they are in possession of less than 50 grams. A pilot for a similar cautioning system for other illicit drugs including heroin and cocaine is also to take place.

Those cautioned will be offered help and advice. For drugs other than cannabis, users would have to undertake to accept some mandatory drug assessment and treatment in return for the caution. The government has approved $600,000 for extra assistance to the 13 to 15 drug treatment agencies that could be involved in the pilot.

During the earlier cannabis-cautioning pilot program, only 8 of the 97 offenders cautioned re-offended during the 6 month trial period and 93 percent of police officers surveyed said the procedure saved resources for more serious matters.

Professor David Penington, who headed the Premier's Advisory Council on Illicit Drugs, yesterday congratulated police on their "substantial" change in attitude. "They've recognized that the (drug) problem hasn't been solved by simple prohibition and that the problem was getting worse, with more young people especially getting involved in the heroin scene."

In an interview with the Melbourne Age, the Chief Commissioner of Police said that during two decades working as a police officer he had been locked into a hard line approach to drug users. But he admitted the approach had not worked and said "I have in recent years changed my mind considerably."