May 23, 2016 11:39pm
ANDREW JEFFERSON Herald Sun
Gary Christian, secretary for Drug Free Australia, claims the arrival of mobile injecting vans is a desperate measure that will not change the number of overdoses or overdose deaths in the area.
“Tracking of overdose deaths in the Kings Cross area from five years before the room opened compared with the nine years after the room was opened showed no change in the percentage of deaths in the area,” Mr Christian said.
Shane Varcoe, spokesman for the Victorian-based Dalgarno Institute, said any enterprise that enables, empowers or equips ongoing illicit drug use has already breached best healthcare practice.
“Harm reduction can never be about the support of ongoing, health diminishing substance use,” Mr Varcoe said.
“Caring, responsible and civic minded clinicians and policy makers will always be focused on movement toward exit from, and cessation of drug use.
“Mechanisms that enable any government agency to send a message to the community that we are not only supporting, but enabling taxpayer funded illicit drug use, not only breaches care for the illegal drug user, but breaches international conventions.”
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