Injecting Centre a Failure
A new review of the only injecting room in Australia at Kings Cross in Sydney concludes that it has not achieved any of its objectives.
The review concludes that only ABSTINENCE gives rise to the lowest possible level of harm associated with drug use, as well as the lowest possible level of supply and demand.
In its 10 years of operation in Sydney there is no substantive evidence that the injecting centre has achieved ANY of its stated objectives.
(Source: Bioethics Research Notes, volume 23, issue 1, March 2011)
DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-
It's now time to close the kings Cross injecting centre and write it off as a failure.
All three reviews of the injecting centre are based on health outcomes only and have never looked at the whole cost of illicit drugs to the community.
Maintaining drug addicts in their drug use and providing them with safer equipment, cleaner environment and free syringes was always going to fail.
Compulsory diversion of identified drug addicts into detoxification and rehabilitation is world’s best practice to reduce demand.
This abstinence based approach accepts non drug use as the primary goal of drug policy.
Early intervention drug rehabilitation reduces supply of illicit drugs as it cuts off funds to organized crime and supports border protection.
Early intervention drug rehabilitation based on abstinence supports Australia’s commitment to United Nations treaties to eliminate demand for illicit drugs.
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.
17/2011
