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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 13 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 4177 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

Furthermore, the New Scientist in November alerted us to a new deadly blood-borne virus epidemic in injecting drug users in Europe, Asia and the Americas. These are profound public health issues. They cannot be avoided and we have to address them. The control of what threatened to be an AIDS epidemic through the needle exchange programs in Australia gives us a good indication of the improved effectiveness of a public health motivated drug strategy rather than one built upon prohibition, as has been the case in the United States with ever increasing rates of contraction of diseases. To this end, this trial of a supervised injecting place may put us in a better position to protect our population from debilitating and deadly blood-borne diseases. This trial can assist us in developing a comprehensive public health policy that can save lives.

A lot is also said about sending signals. The most important signal we can send is that everyone in our society be treated with dignity and respect. After all, everyone wants to improve the quality of life and hopes to stay healthy and positive, drug dependent persons included. For most addicts, as research and drug users and addicts will tell you, it is a matter of time before they die of an overdose, or their health fails, or they learn to live with and manage their addiction, or before they become clean and deal with their addiction.

I know for a fact - we all do - that sometimes time runs out. We know people who have died, or who are permanently damaged in our community. They have injected in unsafe places. When they have overdosed alone, or when their use of drugs is compounded by mental health problems; when they see no options to get out of the cycle in which they are trapped, they are put into an untenable situation. Such a death or illnesses is horrific for the victim and, as we know, for their families and friends. It is horrific for the members of the community who look after them and come across them. It is also expensive and demoralising for the wider community.

What are the signals we want to send to people who are addicted to drugs? The trial of a supervised injecting place sends a signal: "We want you to stay alive and be as healthy as possible. We want you to find a way out of drugs. We are not going to damn you as worthless or a criminal in the interim. We will explore a range of strategies to those ends". It also sends a signal that injecting drugs is dangerous. That is why it needs to be supervised. It sends a signal to families and friends of injecting drug users that we want their loved ones to survive, to remain healthy; to take advantage of opportunities to become free of addiction and destructive lifestyles.

Those who oppose this initiative say the signal that is being sent out is that it is okay to use and inject drugs. Obviously, that is a concern that must be taken into account. It is taken into account by most people who support a supervised injecting place. People know well that I have raised in this place the need to place this initiative well in the centre of a broad strategy which includes education and public information that is clear about the purpose of a supervised injecting place. That it is not about saying it is okay; it is about saying it is incredibly dangerous; that you may die as a result of injecting drugs. At least the community is saying, "This is a dangerous activity. We would like you to stop doing it. But we will help to keep you alive". Obviously that message has to come out and this initiative has to be supported and accompanied by that kind of message.

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