ABORIGINAL OPPOSITION TO SYRINGE CENTRE
The troubled Redfern community in Sydney has expressed concern at a proposal to set up a syringe distribution centre in a building in The Block.
Representatives of the Aboriginal Medical Service have indicated that the situation in Redfern has vastly improved since a concerted police and community effort drove drug pushers out of the area.
Representatives of the Aboriginal Housing Company believe Redfern has been cleaned up and transformed.
The permanent syringe distribution centre is to replace the controversial needle bus.
Community members have complained that the syringe distribution centre will simply attract back the drug dealers that were evicted recently.
(Source: The Australian newspaper 11 May 2005)
DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA COMMENTS
Syringe distribution centres attract drugs users to an area and also the drug pushers that supply the heroin for the users with the syringes.
Syringe distribution centres maintain illicit drug users in their addiction and do not reduce the drug using population.
Syringe distribution centres provide a market for the criminals that supply heroin and therefore support funding of criminal activities.
Australia must reduce the demand for illicit drug by diverting illicit drug users into detoxification and rehabilitation to get them drug free.
Overseas experience has proven that illicit drug users must be diverted into detoxification & rehabilitation by the courts to successfully reduce the number of users.
More detoxification & rehabilitation that gets illicit drug users drug free.
Court ordered and supervised detoxification & rehabilitation.
Less illicit drug users, drug pushers and drug related crimes.
17/2005