Call for second injecting centre for Sydney

News

Call for second injecting centre for Sydney

25 June 2014

A coalition of medical and drug experts is calling for a second supervised injecting centre to be opened in Sydney, after a spike in overdoses from heroin and similar drugs.

A new drug reform group, called Unharm, says the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross has saved thousands of lives, and more could be saved if services were available in other areas such as south-west Sydney. Figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics show charges for possession or use of narcotics in the Fairfield local government area are more than five times more common per head of population than the rest of NSW, with Sydney the only area with a higher rate.

Unharm co-founder and Kings Cross resident Will Tregoning said politicians were patting themselves on the back for supporting the Kings Cross injecting room while neglecting other parts of Sydney.

“It just doesn’t make sense that Kings Cross would be the only area in need in Sydney, particularly when it has become relatively gentrified," he said.

The group believes Fairfield or Liverpool has the greatest need, although other places could be suitable.

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