Rehabilitation is the only alternative to injecting rooms
The only proven way to reduce deaths from drug overdoses is to get addicts drug free as soon as possible.
Sweden, U.S.A., Singapore and other countries, which have much lower drug use and substantially fewer addicts than Australia, use their legal system to direct addicts into detoxification and rehabilitation.
The Melbourne Herald Sun (21/10/99) stated that "the law must compel addicts to undergo treatment" and again (24/8/99) "compelling (addicts) to accept treatment under pain of jail".
This has many advantages-
- Less drug overdose deaths
- Less addicts as treatment gets addicts drug free
- Less demand for drug pushers
- Less use of health services for overdose victims
- Less crime because of less addicts
- Former addicts now drug free contributing to society
- Less police resources used for drug related crime
- Less taxes being used on syringes, beach cleaning, disposal, etc
- Less taxes being used for community services for addicts
- Less taxes being used for drug committees and enquires
- Less taxes used for drug maintenance programs
- Former addicts living longer with improved health
- Less taxes used for income support programs
- Courts used to solve problems with better programs
- Less taxes used for prisons as there is less drug crime
- Less taxes used for coronal investigations
- Less blood infections e.g. Hepatitis
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.
FACT SHEET 13/2000
