An Injecting Centre Alternative
From time to time in the media some people advocate establishing an illicit drug injecting centre in jurisdictions where an injecting center has never been set up. So what is the alternative?
DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-
Identified illicit drug users should be directed into court supervised drug rehabilitation that gets users off drugs quickly and permanently.
These comprehensive drug rehabilitation programs do not exist in Australia.
Treatment that facilitates drug use or allows users to leave when they like does not solve the user’s true needs.
World’s best practice has proven that rehabilitation focused on reestablishing a drug user to abstinence and full health is the best.
Drug use maintenance like injecting centers and syringe distribution simple do not deal with the issue of drug use but sweep it away.
Comprehensive rehabilitation that deals with the underlying causes of drug use works best to help users to reestablish their lives.
Illicit drug users who undergo rehabilitation without drugs do not overdose because they are not using life threatening toxic chemicals.
The more drug users in rehabilitation the less ambulance callouts and health facilities for drug overdoses will be needed, hence savings in resources.
Injecting centers maintain demand for drug use and play into the hands of criminal activity by providing a market and funding for illicit drugs.
Illicit drug use is not a narrow health issue because of its profound impact on users, families, road and community safety, border protection and social justice.
THE DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS-
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.
30/2011
