NAP calls for Heroin to be made available to users

“The recent release of the report of the Ministerial Taskforce on illicit drugs is a step in the right direction by the NT Labor Government, but falls well short in terms of adequately addressing the needs of dependent opiate users in the NT” said Gary Meyerhoff of the Network Against Prohibition today.

The Network Against Prohibition strongly support the establishment of a Methadone maintenance program in the Northern Territory, however, a range of options need to be available to dependent drug users.

“The NT Government is relying on two drugs (buprenorphine and methadone) to act as magic bullets, without providing appropriate detoxification services,” Mr Meyerhoff said.

“Although we support the use of Methadone, it is an extremely addictive drug and has serious withdrawal effects. We argue strongly for pharmaceutical quality heroin (diacetylmorphine) to be made available to dependent and recreational users in the Northern Territory.”

Trials of heroin have been successful in Europe and the NT was well placed to follow this lead with the establishment of the illicit drugs taskforce.

Mr Meyerhoff said “the major flaw in the government’s strategy is that they ran the taskforce on illicit drugs in concert with a major police offensive on drug users in the NT. This police offensive is seriously impacting on the ability of drug users to reduce drug related harm.”

“If the government was serious about addressing problematic drug use in our community they would start by ending the incarceration of generation after generation of young people due to draconian drug laws. As a slogan stated in the USA in the 1920’s ‘Save the children – stamp out prohibition.’