Issue- Safe injecting rooms POV PDF

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VCE ENGLISH Issue- Richmond Safe injecting rooms POV...

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ISSUE: SAFE INJECTING ROOMS CONTENTION: That the trial of the safe injecting room in North Richmond is necessary for the community. Arguments For Giving people the chance to get back on their feet. Less deaths. About saving lives. Reducing drug harm.

Arguments Against -

Successive governments have taken the necessary steps to introduce harm minimisation strategies that gives drug addicts a chance to get back on their feet. It ultimately is about giving sons, daughters, parents and friends who are in the grip of their greatest fight, a chance at survival they haven’t had before. - Those 34 people might have still been alive if they had been under the close watch of medically trained professionals - No government can turn its back on the stark reality that 34 people might still be alive - No government can proclaim to be caring and compassionate but ignore that - This takes on a more pragmatic approach - Heroin addiction is real and we have reached a tipping point Reduced amount of needles found around on the streets and carparks. -

There is a reduction in drug-related paraphernalia such as used needles being discarded in public places. Community advances as well as users who benefit themselves. - Deakin University public health senior lecturer Dr Matthew Dunn says “those who inject in public places are at higher risk at rushing their injection and potentially overdosing. A medically supervised injecting centre removes that element of rushing to use the drug, and therefore the harm”. http://this.deakin.edu.au/society/sho uld-we-introduce-safe-injectingrooms - If someone overdoses, there are trained medical professionals there to save their life, whereas a user may die if injecting in public place. - Melinda Walker, co-chair of Law Institute Victoria Criminal Law Section says that the safe injecting room will give people struggling with

Providing a place for heroin addicts to go to in order to use drugs is encouraging the use of dangerous drugs, or making our streets, schools and parks unsafe.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/ice-willbe-allowed-in-melbourne-safe-injecting-room20180410-p4z8th.html -

Users will be able to take up to three grams of drugs such as heroin or ice into the injecting centre without penalty.

addiction the resources and support to link in to appropriate rehabilitation services.

Access to clean disposable equipment and provides a gateway to services such as counselling, drug treatment and referral to support services. - Safe injecting rooms offers those using them to have access to clean equipment. Also provides counselling and helps to refer drug users to support services. - Having access to clean equipment, which reduces the chance of contracting infectious diseases. - Daily interaction with health professionals - allowing relationship development & greater health monitoring. - Engage users in society & their own health - assist in seeking further treatment. - Health and social work professionals can provide a first point of contact for persons who use drugs, giving them direct access to information and referral. - They feel like it’s a safe place for them to come, a place where they can have a positive interaction with health staff and where when can not only use the drugs they’re using in a safe way but also find access to other treatments.

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Provides authorities with rapid feedback about the drugs currently used in the street.

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Proven success from SIRs from around the world, advocates also point to the SIR in Sydney’s King Cross as a prime example of viability and effectiveness of the rooms here in Australia.

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In Victoria, we are losing more people to overdoses than to our road toll. The law and order response is not doing a great job of dealing with substance abuse.

https://www.liv.asn.au/StayingInformed/LIJ/LIJ/November-2017/Safe-injecting-roomwill-save-lives--reduce-crime-

The more people are assisted to combat their addiction via the option to access services, the

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Drug addiction is a health issue - affects a person’s mental health

greater the reduction in the need for crime to fund those addictions. - This initiative will reduce the impact of drugs in our community and the system as a whole, including by reducing the need for jails and police resources. -

Significantly reduce ambulance attendances, improving response times for ordinary Victorians. http://needlenightmare.org.au/ -

Save over $3 million in ambulance call outs and hospital emergency costs.

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Less ambulance call outs because overdoses can be treated at the centre Less police tied up stopping people from injecting drugs so that they can deal with other crimes - Police are going to be much harsher on people who are injecting on the street rather than using the centre - Less deaths (plenty of horrible stories of people dying on the side of the street, mural on the side of the building on Victoria St that says ‘you talk, we die’ with names of everyone that died of an overdose in that area this year whilst politicians were talking about the proposal) - Drug-induced violent behaviour is far, far less when the drug is taken in a calm environment http://amp.abc.net.au/article/9925232 - "There's a lot of science to suggest that injecting amphetamine in a quiet environment with as little stimuli as possible makes that patient much more settled and much more compliant," he said. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/new-safe-injecting-room-to-accept-ice-users-adding-to-local-fears20180411-p4z8xc.html - "To make it clear, we have not seen any evidence of a relationship between the use of crystal methamphetamine and incidents in our centre. In fact, the rate of incidents has declined [since allowing ice at the Kings Cross injecting room].” - The primary school supports it - as do a lot of the small shops/businesses - Reduced amount of syringes lying around - The amount of syringes someone found just walking down a street - Rehabilitation and referral that also occurs there at the SIR’s - results in getting more people off drugs and therefore they are healthier and there is less dependence on the health care system. There is a potential for reduced drug use in the area given the rehabilitation facilities included in the centre. - People on drugs being safer because they are in a controlled setting initially and are able to stay there until they are calm https://fionapatten.com.au/speech/848/ - The trial will test whether the same remarkable success can be achieved in Richmond. Based on success in Sydney and in 90-plus other locations around the world. - The object of the bill, which will expect that trial will achieve: - To reduce the number of deaths from drug overdoses - To provide a gateway to health and social assistance for clients of the licensed injecting centre (drug treatment, health care and counselling) - To reduce drug overdose-related ambulance attendances

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To reduce the number of discarded needles and syringes and the incidence of drug injecting in public places - To improve the amenity of its neighbourhood for residents and traders - Assist in reducing the spread of bloodborne disease The Ambulance Employees Australia Victoria has stated that “safe injecting rooms will reduce assaults on ambos and free up crews” Ambulances in metropolitan Melbourne attend more than 2200 heroin overdoses annually, at an estimated cost of more than $2.3 million....