Safer tactics for heroin hotspot

An initiative in Melbourne is trying a peer-based strategy to encourage safer drug injecting in a heroin hotspot.

Proximity to public housing, an abundance of discreet lane-ways and a bustling street trade make Richmond a heroin hot-bed which impacts on residents and businesses. Here it's not uncommon to see people dealing drugs in the middle of the day, or witness a drug user having an overdose.

A safe injecting facility has all but been ruled out for Richmond so authorities are tying other tactics, like recruiting experienced drug users to promote safe injecting practices and thus reduce the impact on nearby residents and businesses.

It is hoped that 'experienced drug-users' will promote safer and healthy practices, to create 'supervised' injecting -- a potential life-saver for lone uers and a way to combat the spread of discarded needles.

Addiction counsellor Richard Smith helped establish Australia's first needle exchange in the 19-80's and agrees a peer-based strategy is a good start

"Niney percent of drug overdoses are people who use alone so they've had to sneek off and secrete somewhere in a corner or in a McDonalds toilet - they're the ones who die because they're using alone they've had to go and hide."